Knock Out Rose

A couple of weeks ago I bought a knockout rose and planted it in a location that I thought would look nice.  Thing is, the hostas that grow in a circle around the area that I selected are HUGE.  They are way too big and overshadow the rose.  They need to be thinned but now it is too late in the season for that.

The rose just looked a bit unhappy, a few wilting leaves and no new blooms to speak of.  Just a year or so ago, I would have just tried to think on the bright side and to give the rose time.  That's what I've done before and in almost every single case the result was that the plant died and I was mad at myself for not intervening sooner.

I did not want this rose to go that way so I dug it up and saw that the roots hadn't ventured from the root ball at all.  A certain sign that this plant was not happy in the sandy soil.  I moved it to where other plants flourish and I can keep an eye on it much more closely.  And just to be sure it wasn't being bothered by insects (although they are supposed to be insect resistant), I powdered it with some "Sevin."  Did I spell that right?

The wisdom of us older people is like that.  We are better at knowing when something is wrong to the point where it requires intervention.  And of course, we're not talking about plants here anymore.  And just where does that wisdom come from?  From God, of course, the wisest of all.

And wisdom is just one of the gifts that He gives so generously.  There is also patience, charity, faith, hope, strength, and love, among others.  Some of the gifts we are given at birth, while others come from receiving the sacraments and from prayer. 

Just like the rose, God tends to us, watching us intently in His infinite love.  And sometimes when He sees that we need help, He intervenes.  The creative ways that He uses to help us are many, including using other people.  For as we have been told, we are God's eyes and ears and hands.  Sometimes we are the ones being helped, and sometimes we are the helpers.

I hope the rose is happy in its new spot.  I'll be watching.