These are my unexpected roses that have been growing in the middle of our project all spring. I don’t know where the rose bush came from or who planted the seed but it has been growing on the pile of weeds and dirt that has been dominating one of the corners of this project. I have no other roses growing in the backyard and this spot has been continually trampled and piled upon and I thought there was nothing but weeds. You will notice that there is also a weed growing next to it. Anyway, it made me think about other gardens and projects in life and how sometimes we feel like we have a pile of leftover stuff that just gets shoved to the side and even trampled on as we focus our time and effort on other areas. It is easy to get frustrated and even depressed whenever we look at this pile that reminds us how inadequate we are in our goal to have things nice and tidy and complete and we never had enough time to get back to this pile.
 
This happens in education too as we help our kids increase their learning in one area while another gets shoved aside.  So many times we look at those other project spots and only see the undone corners and the unlearned facts and pieces of knowledge that still need to be planted or hedged up or trimmed.
 
It is easy to look back over a school year and see all of the piles of things we didn’t get to or didn’t quite get finished the way that we had planned. My clue for today is to remind you that amidst the rubble of life and learning, there are often unexpected roses that are somehow planted and unintentionally nourished along the way. Then somewhere along the journey, they miraculously bloom and bring forth gorgeous unexpected roses. They may be smaller than expected or a different color than you would have picked but they are beautiful in their own way.
 
With kids, it is also good to remember that when they start to blossom and bloom in their own gardens, let them do it. Help them pull the weeds around their roses and talents and give them room and time to grow even if the garden that they are nourishing doesn’t fit the landscaping plan you may have had for them when they started out. Another clue is to remember that some plants or talents take a lot of time before the roses start to bud so for some gardens and some children we need more patience than for others.
 
So as you look back over this past school year, remember to find and celebrate the unexpected roses along with the expected ones. Look for those unexpected successes and talents that may have popped up and give them credit and space to grow. My guess is that the unexpected ones will be stronger and more hardy than the expected ones. They had to grow and develop in spite of everything else and they will be stronger for it. My unexpected roses will be given their own special spot in my garden and will be cherished a little more than the ones in my rose garden where I expected roses to bloom.
 
Regardless of whether your roses from this past year were expected or unexpected, there is great beauty there and I hope it makes you smile to see them blossom.

​Ok, so my clue for today is all about PASTA!  Yes, we all love noodles, right?  At least that is what some of my children think.  My youngest daughter is the “noodle princess” and loves anything noodlish!  Yes, I love pasta too; however, I don’t care for days that I FEEL like pasta.  Do you ever have days or even weeks when you feel about as useful as a wet noodle?  I heard someone talk about the uselessness of a wet noodle as a restraint or rope and how it doesn’t have any strength at all.  Ever since then, when I have days that I feel completely drained and useless, I call them “Wet Noodle Days”.  On those days, it feels like it is just impossible to get anything done, and that no matter how hard I try, I would have been better off staying in bed that morning because I am just a flop at everything! Those are the days that I can’t seem to focus on anything but instead, flip this way and then that way just like a wet noodle and just can’t seem to do ANYTHING! Do you ever feel like that? I hope so because then it means we are both normal!  
 
So my thought that I would like to share is how to get over or past the “Wet Noodle Days” because we all have them.  I feel like I have been having them a week at a time sometimes.  Anyway, so what should you do on a “Wet Noodle Day”? My first thought is to give yourself time to “dry out” and get your strength back. Give yourself permission to just stretch yourself out on a couch or other piece of furniture and soak up some of the sunshine that is already in your life and just do nothing.  Ok, I understand that even in doing that, the mind of a mother is going a million miles a minute thinking of all the things that need to be done so give yourself permission to just BE THERE for a bit.
 
Life has a way of soaking us every once in a while and we get drenched so you really need to just take some time to drip dry.  That might even mean that you really drip and let yourself cry for a bit. Take some time to refresh. It may be a good time to look at your goals and plans and change them to be more realistic. It may be a good time to try to not think about anything at all because you know that tomorrow you will get back on the horse and start chipping away at them again. Turn your list-in-your-head into things that you are grateful for or that have already been accomplished. Take a nap with your kids. Read them your favorite stories. Watch an old Disney movie. Just give in and get wet some more and take them swimming. Let the kids decide what to do for the day and just follow their lead. Enjoy the day as if you didn’t have a care in the world.
 
Life is too short to give in and feel bad about “Wet Noodle Days” because they will always be there. Turn them around and make them “Pasta Parties” when you just enjoy the moment with your kids and worry about the rest tomorrow. Yea, yea, I know, whenever you give in and really enjoy your pasta, you pay for it later.  So yes, your to-do list will still be there tomorrow and you might have less time to get things done in and somethings might never get done but at least you will have great memories of the day with your family and you will have taken the time to dry out a bit so you have more strength to tackle life the next day.