Cheryl's "Blooming Spirit"

The other day I had written a post about still feeling like a stranger in a strange land in Roanoke. When a reader commented that her motto has always been, "bloom where you are planted" I didn't know how to respond.

That "reader" was Cheryl Dolby, a wonderfully talented artist that has made Roanoke her home. Unlike me, Cheryl has embraced her life here, and in turn, has been embraced by the community. Cheryl reminds me of a field of beautiful, colorful wildflowers. When cut, they will be placed in a hand-crafted vase, grace the middle of a table covered with delicious delicasies, and enjoyed by the multitude of friends she has surrounding the table.

I feel like the teeny tiny flower pushing through the crack of concrete on someone's back patio that they will pull out by the shallow roots -- "get rid of that weed" and handily discard. This is why I could not respond to Cheryl's comment.

After reading my post, Cheryl wrote a post this morning on her blog, Healing Woman, a portion of which I'd like to share with you:

"In response to Elena, I immediately thought of a poem I wrote, titled “Blooming Spirit.” Coincidentally, I was working on a renaissance oil collage of a girl with sunflowers and after I read Elena's blogpost, I thought it would be serendipitous to name my sunflower girl after my poem. Here is the poem and details about my painting.

“Blooming Spirit”
Her home was far away and she longed for the roots that had for so long held her life together; friends, family and familiar surroundings. Time passed as she quietly endured her sorrow. Finally, she rejoiced, for her soul, who knew far more than she, revealed a great truth: “Change is growth, you must bloom where you are planted.”
~Cheryl Dolby~

Just beautiful. To see more of Cheryl's fantastic talents, please stop by her blog.

Thank you Cheryl, you've given me a lot to ponder...