These yellow flowers are called Wild Senna. I planted them early last spring, 2022. They only recently reappeared. The branches had seemingly scorched and blackened during the oppressively hot summer. I snipped some of the branches in early September in hopes they would regrow, and finally one morning I stepped out on my patio and saw the beginning of small yellow flowers.
New life; new hope.
It got me thinking that when it appears that all is lost, there is always hope. Deep within the soil God has provided each and every plant all it needs to survive and to thrive no matter what the difficult environments it may encounter.
Of course, some inevitably wither to never return, but I believe that remnants of that plant always remain because of the seeds that birds and insects have grafted and transported on the wind and into the soil.
Such it is with humanity. No matter how destructive this life can be, there is always hope that we will rise from the ashes of destruction. It is in our DNA. We carry the remnants of who we are, who our ancestors were, within our very blood.
We are forever rooted in this very earth upon which we exist.
We leave remnants of who we are to our children and our children’s children until infinity.
So, what to do with our short time on this earth? What shall we leave as our time in the sun fades?
Like the Wild Senna, we bloom for a short time, but even after that short time, our roots re-emerge and can branch out and blossom.
We never truly leave this earth. We leave behind whispers of our broken and discarded dreams; we leave behind our maddening hubris; we leave behind scars that mar future generations.
What for?
This life is temporary, but our actions reverberate through the milennia.
Yes, on this quiet Sunday morning in late November, I stand at the window and look out at the beautiful cluster of yellow Wild Senna and ponder the decades ahead and wonder if in the fall of 2053 who will find a tiny yellow flower poking through the sidewalk and ponder how it had blossomed there.
Such is this life; such is the remnants of humanity.
Mama said to me long ago, you reap what you sow. It comes from Galatians 6:7 in the Holy Bible:
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
As 2024 looms on the horizon, ask yourself what you want to sow.
Do you want to build up others, or do you want to destroy others?
Do you want to plant seeds of love, peace, and joy, or do you want to sow seeds of hate and destruction?
Each word that proceeds from your mouth can either destroy or comfort.
What remnant do you want to leave in your short time on this earth?
Never forget that God is still on His throne and will be forever. God will not be mocked.
We reap what we sow.
So, in the coming year 2024, ask in prayer how you can leave this earth in better condition than you found it.
How can you be the change for love, kindness, and peace that you want to see?
Rather than tear down, build up.
Rather than hate, love.
God is, after all, love.
Love.
Plant seeds of love, beauty, and peace.
After all, what you leave never leaves this earth.
We are forever rooted here.
God bless. Pray for peace.
Jenny W. Andrews copyright 2023.
Photography, copyright 2023 Jenny W. Andrews
Jenny Grace's Poetry and Creative Writing Techniques 
Those Wild Senna are beautiful, there’s a moral in there somewhere (beautiful things sometimes take time…) 😊 Your reflections for the new year are great to ponder on, thinking about what we want to sow and behaving accordingly 🙏 There are so many influences and distractions that we need to keep filtering out and remain diciplined with a more positive mindset 💫
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Hi Cherryl, thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Yes, this next year I plan not to let myself get too distracted and to focus on my goals. Have a happy holiday season and Happy 2024!
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Likewise Jenny, enjoy the festive season and have a wonderful new year ahead, 2024 🥂🤗 🙏
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