Dear Purple Snapdragon,
Your stalk grew too tall.
You fell over every day.
I cradled you and propped you up.
Nothing worked. Nothing helped.
Finally I let you go.
I put you in the garden to fend for yourself.
I gave you water and walked away.
And what did you do?
You made it on your own.
You are curving toward the sun.
You look proud and beautiful.
I gave you roots.
I gave you wings.
Both were hard.
I can’t stop admiring your beautiful curve as you find your way up.
Your pink sisters are welcoming you.
I’m so proud of you.
Flowers are like children. They both need our care. And when we finally let go, it is a beautiful thing. Hug your child. Smile when it’s unexpected. Laugh a lot. Listen. Read together. Let it go. Look up and look down.
Because your child is a flower. Just ask Purple Snapdragon.
Jennie
A Teacher's Reflections 
Beautiful and touching.
Thank you.
My pleasure 🌸
That’s beautiful, Jennie.
Thank you, Norah.
Beautiful picture and writing! 😊
Thank you!
Very touching Jennie.
Thank you, Pam!
Beautiful analagy 🥰
Thanks so much, Ritu! 😍
This is beautiful, Jennie. Plants and people sometimes thrive in unlikely surroundings. You gave it a chance to do well, and it did. It’s nice of you to share its story.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Dan. The similarities between plants and people are often remarkable. Thank you.
How lovely, Jennie!
Thank you, Sue!
A perfect analogy. Go, little purple snapdragon, go!
Yes, go! Thanks so much, Darlene. 🙂
Superb and such heartfelt poem, Jennie. Children are like the blossoms of flowers let us take care of them and nurture them with love and joy.
Beautifully said! And, thank you so much. 😊
You are welcome Jennie.
You summed it up perfectly. And I am so pleased the flower survived, I loved those as a child, and used to play with the fallen heads, making them ‘talk’ with my fingers.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thank you, Pete. I never did that as a child. I’m glad it brought you pleasant memories. Best to you.
Lovely… ❤ .
Thank you, Bette. 😍
Jennie, Even though I don’t write often, I love you posts ( was that your daughter making cake roses on the 4th?) Todays post, in particular resonated with me in multiple ways- what a gift you gave me! Thank you! By the way I hope you did get that long email I sent in reply to your email.
Hope you are safe and well. Glad you State Covid rates are going in right direction . Unfortunately, ours are goin the other way. Mary Kay
On Tue, Jul 14, 2020 at 6:02 AM A Teacher’s Reflections wrote:
> Jennie posted: ” Dear Purple Snapdragon, Your stalk grew too tall. You > fell over every day. I cradled you and propped you up. Nothing worked. > Nothing helped. Finally I let you go. I put you in the garden to fend for > yourself. I gave you water and walked away. A” >
Mary Kay!! Yes, I did get your wonderful email. We extended school till June 26th, then our daughter (yes, the cupcakes) arrived a few days later from Oregon and left just a few days ago. I am finally taking a breath, and will reply to your lovely email.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. I can’t tell you what it did for me to see that branch growing on its own. The wonders of nature are much like those of children. Many thanks, my friend.
The dragon is on his own thanks to you. I think we can say the same about children.
That is so nice, John! Thank you. 😊
Lovely way to think about kids. And we get to love them in all the various ways they grow.
Yes, we do. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Wonderful!
Thank you!
What a wonderful follow-up to the kindergarten post!!
Thank you, Liz! 🙂
You’re welcome, Jennie!
Awwwww, Jennie that is so beautiful and very apt…Love this!
Thanks so much, Carol!
So true…of many flowers AND children/grandchildren!
Yes!
Wonderful advice and your Snapdragons are lovely!
Thank you, Deborah!
such a sweet verse! You have such a nice gentle voice-and I love the picture- What are the other flowers in the photo?
Thank you, Michele. The others have past their yellow blooms, sedum and sundrops. I love how the flowers ‘take turns’ blooming.
This is lovely, Jennie. A beautiful poem.
Thank you, Robbie. And thank you for posting it on FB. 🙂
A lovely poem and message, Jennie. I think nature has messages for us about life every time we stop to ponder. Flowers and children are beautiful and worth nurturing. ❤
Thank you, Diana. I feel exactly the same way. 😍
Simple beautiful, Jennie. Thank you.. xx
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Joy. You’re welcome. 🙂
Apologies, I meant ‘simply’…Hugs x
No worries, Joy. You must have had my English teacher, Miss Mitchell. She made sure we knew correct grammar and spelling. As an adult, I hate it if I make a mistake. Auto correct drives me crazy sometimes. Hugs to you! 🙂
Its so heart touching, Jennie! Thank you for sharing this wonderful poem, and your garden really seems to be a little paradise. Michael
Thank you so much, Michael!
Wish to thank you Jennie, the the fantastic insight.
🙂
🙂
Reblogged this on alkaplan and commented:
Never give up.
Thank you so much! And yes, never give up. 🙂
As you can tell, I’m not keeping up well with my reading these days but glad I caught this one. Perfect! Children are nature and the comparison is prefect also. Left to our own devises, we will find up eventually and thrive. Love this ode to the purple snapdragon. 😉 Hugs to you.
Marlene, I am always behind in keeping up with my reading, too. No,worries! I was so struck when the flower took off alone, and in a wonderfully different pattern. Maybe my many nurturing weeks of failure gave the tall guy some something after all. He deserved an ode. You and I both know children are the same way. They thrive. Many thanks! 🙂
I don’t have children, but this is a beautiful thought.
Thank you.
Absolutely.