Yesterday I shared about a specific flower I brought home from a trip and how it has given me both indoor and outdoor joy. It was one of many plants my mom and I brought home. She bought fewer, and they were smaller. She’s more confident and knowledgeable.

I drive a three-row SUV, so you’d think I would have plenty of room, but three of the seats have car seats in them for grandkids. In this case, the car seats might have helped, since they stabilized the larger pots. The littler plants were tucked on the floor anyway they’d fit. The largest of the plants was somehow tucked down the middle of the vehicle. Add our overnight bags and a couple other items, and the ride home was both full and fragrant!

Despite my brother-in-law covering the seats, I had a bit of a cleanup job the week we returned. Not to mention having to pause the planting due to weather. On our way home, the weather turned unseasonably cold and rainy. I moved the plants to my garage to keep them safe until I could plant them a few days later. The full weekend was worth the schedule change and the messy remnants.

The plants were a little stressed, but they were resilient. They’re now thriving. They remind me of a lot of people I know—stressed but resilient, finding purpose in the schedule change and messy remnants.