Granted, I like pretty things, but, for the most part, the things I display in my home or my office are there because they have a story, come from someone or somewhere in particular, or hold some other kind of meaning for me.

Last week, I was given this beautiful plant, as a thank you for time spent mentoring and loving and walking alongside a couple of friends, as they respond to their calls to ministry. For me, that back story would be more than enough to make this plant meaningful, forever reminding me of these friends and the honor of being part of their story.

But wait, there’s more.

It turns out this plant was grown from cuttings taken from another friend’s plant – one she had to leave behind when she graduated from seminary last spring, because her moving truck was just that full. In her care, the plant thrived, to say the least, basking in the picture window of her apartment on campus. I like knowing she cared for it and it (in its way) cared for her, a silent witness to long hours of studying, plenty of soul searching, and the deep and steady spiritual growth that made her the pastor and counselor she is today. All this gave my new plant even more meaning.

But wait, there’s more.

My new plant (and several others) were originally rooted and nurtured and grown to be used as centerpieces for a worship service that ended up never happening. My friends and I talked about all the ways we could use the stories behind this plant for sermon illustrations (I love those conversations) – cutting back something that’s thriving, in order to inspire new growth; the process of cutting and rooting and replanting something, and what it takes to make that plant not just live, but thrive; even the message behind growing something for a specific reason, but having to use it for something else (and that something turning out to be, maybe, even better).

For me (in addition to everything else I’ve shared here), this plant will always represent the potential of my work – the reminder that whenever/wherever we encounter another person, there is always potential for growth. Who could ask for more?