Weathering the Storms

In the early spring about ten years ago, after we had been in this house for three years, I was surprised to see a few tulip leaves pushing up through the ground almost under the foundation plants in front of the house. They produced three pretty red flowers that year, and during the following years as their roots started spreading, the flowers grew in number; last year I had sixteen. I kept count. But last year was also when the landscaper came to pull out the overgrown foundation plants and redo the entire front area. I feared I would lose those colorful flowers. But this spring, the pretty little cluster of tulips popped back up. I was so happy to see them and even cut a few to use for a watercolor subject. Last night much of the South including Greenville experienced a violent storm, heavy rains and winds that tore limbs off trees, but this morning the tulips were strong and blowing in the breeze like cheerful red flags on flexible green flagpoles. They have weathered many storms of life. Their bulbs and roots must go deep down into that nourishing red clay for them to be as resilient as they have been. Once again, an analogy between plants and people.