My maternal grandmother Sinia, (don’t you just love that name?) had a green thumb like no other person I know.
When she was alive, my grandparents’ farm in Kentucky was filled with flowers, vegetables and endless varieties and species of plants.
I don’t know how she did it, but she managed to fill their entire yard with colorful and healthy plants almost year round. It was almost as if she paid each and every plant special attention in order for it to grow to its highest potential.
She kept her flowerbeds beautiful and free of weeds, which is an arduous task to say the least. Since her passing, the beautiful colors have faded, but they remain in my memories and are preserved on a home movie my mom recorded, which miraculously survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Admittedly, I don’t think I inherited her green thumb. I have tried to keep things growing and healthy in my yard, but then I forget about it or just can’t find the time to devote to the precious plants.
We barely manage to maintain our grass and the wall of azalea bushes that line our property, which is a huge undertaking.
My husband’s grandfather was also a gardener and the only things that regrow on what is now our property year after year are the rose bushes, hibiscus and lilies he planted many years ago. He sure knew what he was doing and it’s nice to have such a special reminder of him.
Since I don’t have a green thumb, I try to tend to my garden of life.
I find the same principles applied to gardening can be applied to friendship, business and family.
When it comes to friendship, I have had to “weed” out some people who either had a bad influence on me or were not much of a friend.
In business, I feel it’s important for business owners to “tend” to their employees and customers.
For example, during my lunch hour, I sometimes feed my shopping addiction by perusing the boutiques in downtown Picayune. Nine out of ten times, the owner is there and I always feel welcome and accommodated.
If you are absent from your business, then you won’t have an inkling about what occurs during normal business hours or what your customers are thinking. In my opinion, one can’t make informed decisions about what’s best for their business if they are absent from it.
However, we are born into our families. That sense of entitlement may be why some family members do not contribute to the “garden” as a whole.
They may only come around when the “water” is plentiful. However, I believe one should never give up on their family members. Keep cultivating that relationship. It may not always turn out the way we want, but at least we tried.
This summer, I know many of you can be found in the heat planting and tending your gardens. It is my hope that you will also tend to the important things in your life, so that your relationships and business will be just as beautiful as your garden.