Thats wisterical

So hereI sit, needing to take a shower and head out to the KOA to see Uncle Dan and Aunt Kay but something struck me and I need to write. Please bear with me as this may seem like a long rambling gardening talk but there is something I need to say.
   I recently built a pergola for our Wisteria to keep it off of our telephone pole. Being addicted to building and a perfectionist about such things I decided that the Wisteria was too big and needed a second pergola to make it look right. Then more ideas took hold, decking the pergolas, building benches, a fire pit and more gardening. Today I set out to start the second pergola and I dug the hole for the first post. Having gotten it set and cemented in I took a good look at the Wisteria. It is a mess. The base cannot be seen due to all of the new growth sprouting out everywhere and there are so many vines coming off of it that I had no idea which were going to go to which pergola. I had an idea that I would take some of the younger vines, strip the new sprouts off of them and braid them to add the lagniappe (a little something extra) that I am always looking for. Having braided a five foot section I saw that the base of the vine was starting to become more visible. I imagined in my mind the finished product with the leaves and flowers at the top showing the delicate nature of the wisteria and the strong, rugged nature of the base of the wisteria showing how much strength is needed for so much beauty to develop. So I began to clear away more young growth. At this point it occurred to me that I needed to have Shelby there because as our resident master gardner she would be able to tell me if I was doing too much and hurting the plant or if it was all okay. The resilience of this plant though reminded me that in all that we have done to chop away at it I was certain to be okay. I found a second place where I could braid another section, about 4 feet long, and it looks just beautiful. I started to separate the vines as to which was going to go to which pergola and I had a moment that took my breath away. I stopped, stepped back about ten feet and looked at what I had done. The beauty of this plant was always there, but certain aspects were unable to be seen until the young life was stripped away. My family.
   I have a wife who drives me crazy. My daughter is so "hidden" in so many ways that it frustrates me at times trying to find her heart. My son, he is pure fun and adventure but when it comes to getting him to do something so simple as wash the dishes he becomes one of my biggest challenges. They all have at times frustrated me to the point of anger, acting in ways I never should have, saying things I never should have and behaving in ways that I should be severely ashamed of. I love them more than I could possibly put into words, every one of them, with all of their quirks and things that make them not like me, so very different and so hard to understand. Our family is beautiful. At our base we are strong, rugged, and at times in need of pruning. The further out we stretch, in our relationships with our friends and family we are beautiful but very few will ever see the strength it takes to keep us alive and flourishing. So many thing we never saw or never knew, only assumed, until our young life was stripped away from us. There are so many beautiful flowers that will never grow on that wisteria because the new life is gone. My pruning will make it beautiful and stronger, more beautiful than it could have been without the support of the pergolas and the tender loving care that we all put into its maintenance. My family.
   If we are to be successful, I need to be that base of the wisteria. The strong part that my family can glean from. I need to rely on an extensive root system of friends and family who will feed me and nourish me so that I can be strong for them. We all need to absorb the life giving water so that we can feed the trunks of the trees that we are intended to feed. In my family I am the trunk, but I may just be a root in your family tree that feeds you and helps you to be that strong trunk that your vines and flowers need in order to grow and be stronger and more beautiful. Perhaps God, the master gardner had to strip away our young life to make us what He intends for us to be. Properly braided, stretched in the right directions, and given a strong place to hold on to. I have been remiss in not saying thank you enough to my root system out there. Many have written and I have not responded. Many prayers are going up for me and mine. I want to say it now that I love you all for who and what you are and have been to me. I have gleaned so much from your thoughtful words. Ray, Dana, David, Tim, other Tim, Jackie, Frosty, Michelle, Dutchtown Baptist Church, and so many more stretching out over seas and countries, my root system stretches around the world. I love you all and thank you for being a part of my life and for hurting with my hurt and for learning from my pain. In all humility I ask that you continue to feed me and let me know how I can continue to feed you.