My friend Ninette loves plants. She is also great at caring for them and has given excellent advice about plant care. With her help, I’ve learned what kind of plants to choose for my house (durable plants and ones that like part-shade) and the importance of following the directions on the tabs that come with the plant.
But among the best advice she gave was how to water a plant from the bottom up.ย Sometimes we water a plant from the top down, so the more visible part(topsoil) gets all the love.ย But it doesn’t mean the plant is getting deeply watered to the roots.ย Placing the plant in the tray with a little water, the roots on the bottom of the pot will soak up the water–watering the plant from the bottom up.
Sometimes as leaders and sojourners, we immediately gravitate to the ones who impress usโthe topsoil. They come into the room and wow us with their talent and ability. There ain’t nothing wrong with this. It’s a beautiful thing to walk in confidence. As someone who’s spent many years carefully assembling teams to lead musical worship, I understand the value of being surrounded by excellent musicians. ย Talent is important, but it’s not everything.ย Every team needs steady and consistent people to hold the tribe together. Here is my list of the what “a-bilities” to look for:
- Adaptability
- Dependability
- Reliability
- Humility
- Levity(another word for joy)
I have an enormous fiddle leaf fig plant I brought at Costco about five years ago. It is now so tall that it fills the corner of our living room and sometimes blocks the TV screen. The fam has complained that just maybe it’s time to re-plant the thing outside. Well…I haven’t gotten the heart to move it. It’s so happy in its sunny window spot.
Realizing it was, in fact, too big, I pruned it. I got on YouTube and learned about gently pruning a fiddle leaf. There’s an art to this. Who knew?
Once that was finished the beautiful branches seemed too lovely to toss. I kept one and recycled the others, then further researched how to create a new plant from one of the pruned branches. It was touch and go for the new plant. I accidentally left it outside, and the sun burned the leaves. But the plant recovered and lived to tell the story, lol.
It still bloomed. And continues to do so like the happy little camper it is. Like plants, there is no fix and forget in nurturing and caring for people. It takes time, energy, patience, and sometimes a little research.
I encourage you to find the gold in the people you encounter daily. But realize the shiness may be hidden. You may have to search. But, once you’ve nurtured well, that person you’ve spent time with may be the one who waters and nurtures another. ๐ฆ
Here is a look at the baby fiddle leaf:
