Well, I suppose in the face of everything that has gone on in the world, there are lots of survivors. But, today I have not focused on the “people” survivors. Instead, I am looking at a fern that not only survived inside the house in the heat but one that is growing in February.
There is a reason I am focusing on this little fern today. Maybe it is symbolic of survivors everywhere. Or maybe it’s just the way I see it.
Anyway, when the first frost came along I decided that the fern would last a little longer if I brought it in. So, for a month or so I did the toting thing. I brought the fern in as the sun was going down each day. And, around noon the next day I would take it out to a warm spot in the sun. Eventually, it was too cold to take it in and out so I kept it inside. I watered it from time to time, just enough to keep it from browning totally.
Then, soon enough I noticed some very young growth, the very light green fronds beginning to unfold. It gave me hope. I have continued to water it and place it near a window during the coldest of times. On the days when the temperature has reached the mid-forties I have placed it outside in a warm spot protected from the wind.
As I have watched the fern lose its beautiful fronds from last year, I have noticed that with a little tender loving care new growth has emerged. I can’t say that the fern is pretty right now. It is young and tender. The growth is delicate and could be easily destroyed. I’m not going to let that happen.
You see, some of the kids have come to see this fern as a survivor. They see that in the world we can all too often stop caring when we should care the most. We give up too soon. We forget that with love and care plants — and people — can sometimes survive.
Yesterday we saw this bit on the television about stopping too soon. We saw that in Israel when we had offered support for a child pulled from the rubble. The child was dead as he was carried away on a stretcher, but none of the viewers knew it. Money poured in to help the child. Never mind that there were adults and older people who needed help.
Following Katrina we all rushed out to help. Our neighborhood certainly did what we could. But, within a month or two our attention was diverted to something else. We forgot those who were displaced after Katrina. We forgot the old people who were without. We even forgot the children.
Now, we are facing the same thing in Haiti. Everyone is running to help. But, soon enough something else will happen in the world and once we are convinced that the last survivor has been pulled from the rubble in Port-au-Prince our attention will be directed somewhere else.
I am thankful for survivors. But, I am more thankful that some people remember that surviving takes more effort than pulling someone alive from beneath a collapsed building. Surviving is a continuing of life. More importantly, there is life beyond survival if we nourish it and protect it. That’s the point of this fern. It survived, but it will not grow and flourish without continued care. I think the kids get it. I hope they do.
So, today I am thankful for survivors. And, I am thankful that some of us will not forget them.
