Anticipation

One of my Canadian cousins is visiting from BC. I've only met her in person once in my life. It was at my sister's wedding, where I got to spend 4 hours with her and share her with the rest of the family. So this is a special treat - just Lara and me, getting to know one another.

It is also a special time because my gardens are really starting to bloom. The fairy roses have one bloom. The potentilla has one sticking straight up. The foxglove have opened...Soon the garden will be in beautiful full bloom. The end of June is when the anticipation I've been building since last November is finally realized. We had our first two strawberries of the season this morning. There is still no sign of bloom on the St. Johnswort, the thistle, the tickseed, the butterfly bush, the helenium... But they're coming.

I plan to take my cousin and her husband on a day trip today. Finally getting to spend time with this girl, who is beautiful inside and out, has come at the perfect time for me. Her wonderful spirit is uplifting. Lara was my pen pal when she was young and I was in high school and college. I now get to meet the twenty-something young lady studying to be a doctor as she is coming into her own.

The end result, the full bloom, the eventual meeting, always remind me that the wait and anticipation were worth it.