(*) The Gardener's Delight, by my mom on 3/20/08

“Mommy, come quick! What happened to the blossoms of yellow and pink orchids? They are gone! And look, the large pink Easter lilies and the birds-of-paradise also are missing a few stalks.” “Ah, I know, mommy must have taken some flowers to the cemetery today.”

It has always been my delight to give beautiful flowers and plants from my garden to the ones I love. I know that the plants from my garden are not always perfect, but, they all carry the beautiful aroma of my home. As I remembered my own mother and father, who have already gone to Heaven, I know for sure that they understood my heart. Perhaps, it is because my mother gave birth to me on the first day of Spring that is why I have always loved all facets of nature: mountains, forests, flowers, trees, grass, fruits, and vegetables. On the day of my birthday each year, I faithfully offer fresh flowers from my garden to my mother’s grave as a way of remembrance and thankfulness for the legacy my mother had left within me. In the same light, each time I hear a student mention their birthday celebration or utter a wish-list of gifts, I would always remind them that the most important part of their birthday is to express thankfulness to their mother for carrying them and bring them into life.

Sometimes friends ask me, “You are so busy, when do you have time to plant and nurture flowers?” As I ponder that question, my mind took me to a memory of a sculpture in the garden of my elementary school. On the sculpture carved these words, “It takes ten years to grow a tree, but, a hundred years to mature a person.” This proverb has been engraved on my mind. May be I am someone’s teacher or someone’s mother, but, as I contemplate over this proverb, especially while working in the middle of my garden, I realized that the plants in my hands are like my students and my children! They are all my precious gifts. I pray and hope that they all grow to become as mature and as strong as they can be. Other than giving the very best care I can offer to them, I always remind myself that the journey of maturation requires time, and sometimes, these precious gifts of mine will have to go through suffering and survive the destruction of the violent storms and vicious bugs and pests. I need to have more patience as I watch them mature and endure hardship on the journey of growth. During the process of nurturing children, I discovered that I have too many limitations. Therefore, I have learned to pray to God each morning for my children, my students and their families for God to shower them blessings and to strengthen their hearts in the midst of adversity and to fill their hearts with God’s peace.

I also take delight in the uniqueness of some of my plants and flowers. Appreciating each phases of their growth is like seeing children of all different backgrounds excel in their learning of Mandarin. I take great joy in giving students and families plants that I have grown in my garden as a way to share my excitement and the joy of life with them. As I pour out love to develop these children, I also teach them, “Value your precious life and make the most of all your opportunities.” Amidst of my garden, beauty may come in many forms. Look at the little noisy song birds, dressed with many vibrant colors, singing their unique songs, flying as they wish, singing as they wish, as if they are fully enjoying the blessings of their freedom.

I also enjoy working the garden with my husband. Even though, we work on different projects, and at times, without much conversation, but, as we appreciate all that we have accomplished together, our hearts are filled with warmth and love. As the sun sets in our garden, over our manicured grass and vegetables, our hearts are filled again with satisfaction and thanksgiving.

Truthfully speaking, the work of the garden is never finished! It is hard work! But, why does it attract me? Let me share with you the secret: My garden is the place where my heart and spirit rest as I lay out thoughts and converse freely with my best-friend Jesus.

I am not a professional gardener, but, I enjoyed spending all my time there because I love to see things grow and mature. Similarly, as I teach the SAT Mandarin class, I also tell my students this, “I, your teacher, am not a magician. I am a coach who is willing to run and train with each of you.” The responsibility of the coach is not merely to pass on the secrets of success, but, to restlessly encourage the ones being trained. As students faithfully pursue the learning of Mandarin, continue to grow in their competencies and starting to master the heart of the language and culture, the satisfaction of watching these students mature is my reward. Thus, the gardener’s delight!