The Packet of Seeds

My husband and I just received a quote for landscaping and masonry to completely overhaul our mess of a front yard. This quote, which is out of our price range, upset me and as a result I lay awake most of the night. And then today, while out walking, I remembered my first baby group meeting and the quote and our front yard slipped back into a part of my mind where they exist in a less grating way.

On our first baby group meeting, a box containing random objects was passed from Mom to Mom. We had to blindly reach into the box, pull out an object and tell the group what the object meant to us in our lives at this moment, now that we had babies.

I pulled out a packet of seeds. Dahlias. One of my favourite flowers. And it took me no time to think about what I was going to say to this group of complete strangers nursing or bouncing their babies.

To me, the packet of seeds was the perfect way to represent priorities.

About two and a half years ago, my husband and I bought a house that had been renovated by a contractor who failed to tell us he had encountered flooding in the basement during construction. The listing realtor also chose not to tell us about this problem. The proper home inspection didn’t suggest any problems with flooding. Had we known at the time of the sale there had been a water issue, we wouldn’t have bought the house. Oh well. Caveat emptor.

A little over a year later and one week before our wedding, we watered a flower bed and unexpectedly caused a flood in the basement. The result was disastrous. We had to evict our very likeable tenants from the rental suite and demolish the basement. Worse, the incident wasn’t covered by insurance. And, part of the remedy involved a bulldozer romping all over our front lawn to dig a deep trench around our house to replace the perimeter drains.

A year and a half later, our basement is a dusty construction zone and our front yard is a field of weeds worthy of a rough plywood sign spray-painted with “no dumping.”

This brings me back to that packet of seeds. I would be so happy to have a lush front lawn again and to plant those dahlias in beds of soft black earth in front of my house. I would love to see Hannah try to perfect her first steps in thick green grass this summer. My husband and I have pride. We would love to restore our house’s curb appeal.

But now that we have a sweet baby girl, the yard and the basement are less of a priority. Our little Hannah started out as a little seed and now our priority is to care for her so she will blossom and grow.

It was kismet that I pulled that packet of seeds from the box at baby group that day. In the face of the quote for the yard work, I am grateful for the reminder of what those seeds mean to me. I will continue to put my heart and soul into caring for Hannah unconditionally. To see our little seed turn into a beautiful flower would be my proudest achievement and will hopefully make our home—and this world a more beautiful place.

Photo Credits

“Untitled”  Flickr Creative Commons.  Some rights reserved by Chu❤

“Dahlia”  Flickr Creative Commons.  Some rights reserved by Carol Green

 Guest Author Bio

 Lara Perzoff

As a new Mom to five month old Hannah and fairly new wife of Glen, Lara is finding her legs at balancing between motherhood and family. Her family is her true love, inspiring her to write down the many words in her head, preferably when she has two free hands to type. Lara has a background in public relations and broadcast journalism and has always been passionate about creative writing. Besides family time, Lara loves hiking, running, photography, adventure travel, a good cup of coffee with friends and yoga.

Recent Guest Author Articles:

• Simple Ways to Help Your Scared Dog Feel Safe Again
• Men in Nursing and the Redefinition of Strength, Compassion, and Career Success
• Lord of the Pings: The Fellowship of Remote Workers
• Homeownership in 2025: Financial Options Every Homeowner Should Know
• Philosophy in Plato’s Footsteps