“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” -Ecclesiastes 3:1

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” -Ecclesiastes 3:1

For gardeners in Louisiana, August is a time of patience and persistence. The sun scorches delicate young plants, it’s too hot and (often) too dry for all but the hardiest of native plants, and the promise of cool weather is still months away. So we wait and have faith that life and growth are being sustained beneath the surface.

For many survivors, healing can feel suspiciously like being trapped in that southern garden in August. The tender places in our hearts and minds aren’t ready to have harsh sunlight cast on them, we’re scraping together the resources we need to get through each day, and better days seem out of sight.

But life can’t and shouldn’t always be full of abundant, leafy branches and flowers (or advancing careers, well-adhered-to schedules, or dozens of flourishing relationships). If we’re slogging through an August phase of life, we can take a lesson from the most persistent plants: Focus on reaching roots down into the earth to find the things that sustain us.

Take a minute and think: What are the places, people, and activities make me feel safe? Focused? Accomplished? Valued? Can I include more of them in my daily life? Can I work on remembering the times and places that gave me a boost when I really needed it? And can I remind myself that August won’t last forever?