A Year of Gratitude – September 24, 2024

I found my gratitude in a place where disappointment tried to hide. It was a small disappointment, but still one that I had this summer.

We planted a fig tree in our front garden last fall. We crossed our fingers and hoped that it would survive the winter. We were so thrilled when it did!

When we finally saw the first bright green buds, we were so happy that it had made it through the first winter in our garden. We weren’t sure what to expect from it, but we hoped that we might see one blossom. I had my fingers crossed that we might even see a tiny little fig.

I have stopped by to check on this fig often this growing season. It has lovely leaves and has had beautiful foliage all season long. Yet there wasn’t a single bloom, no flowers, and definitely no figs.

Deep down, I know that it was a lot to expect this plant to have the energy to fruit so soon. So, I wasn’t disappointed, yet there’s that easy sink into disappointment that we can make when something doesn’t turn out how we had hoped.

Today, as I stood over our fig and looked at these shiny green leaves, I didn’t feel disappointment at all. Instead, I felt hopeful. I am happy that it has put down good roots and made itself at home here in our gardens. I can’t wait to see what it looks like next year.

Sure, I’d love to see a fig growing in our garden, but these leaves are spectacular on their own. They are such a nice backdrop to the flowers in the garden. If they’re the only thing these branches produce, that will be more than good enough for me.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.