5/1/16
It’s nearing a very special one year anniversary in my life…almost a year ago, I published my first book. The sense of accomplishment is enormous. I plan to publish my next book in the fall. In the meantime, I wanted to share again how publishing this book brought something from my childhood full circle and back on track (and yes, I’m still planting!):
5/27/15
I published my story…a book I’ve been living and writing for over twenty years. I started to consider the brevity of this moment in my life, and as I did so, one early childhood memory rushed into my thoughts…
I was in the first grade, and a bully crushed a much loved and cultivated seedling in a Styrofoam cup. It was a project from my Catholic CCD classes. I was so proud of it and the meaning behind it. All I could do was stare at it lying on the playground, with fresh soil spilling over the top of the crushed cup and the broken plant already beginning to wilt on the hot blacktop of the playground…
Flash forward to today, without really thinking about it, I picked up a pouch of flower seeds from Walgreens. Repurposing an antique silver-plated cream and sugar set, I planted two new seedlings. I recognize that the significance of this simple act is lost on anyone else. But for me, it was a leap of renewed faith to reclaim something I lost as a child.
A busy day working, with a detour to pick-up my two younger boys from school to avoid some stormy weather brought me to the corner sidewalk outside the little elementary school where they attend. I saw them emerge, running excitedly with all the other children. They were happy to be “car riders” instead of “bus” for a change and were talking loudly to each other as the crossing guard walked them safely to my side of the street.
I was distracted and didn’t immediately join them on the short walk to my truck. My eyes were fixated on a little girl. She couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7. She was wearing a plaid uniform jumper, very similar to the kind I wore as a child. In her small and delicate hands, she clung tightly to a new seedling sprouting out of a plastic cup. She proudly showed me her new plant and I told her it was indeed, magnificent.
I am always looking for meaning in life, hidden messages and purpose even in the simplest of encounters. I think someone shared something special with me today. And my faith feels renewed and refreshed. I’ll be watching my new seeds, waiting for the first green sprouts to surface from the moist, rich soil. And I’ll reclaim yet another moment from a childhood that never seems to end.
If you want to read more, go to Amazon to order a copy of my book http://www.amazon.com/Following-Path-Dinosaurs-Childhood-Extinction/dp/1512243795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462150423&sr=8-1&keywords=mary+niehaus+ralles.
It’s about late bloomers, flowers, and unending sunshine…in spite of valleys, challenges, and obstacles.
#feeling blessed
