For my birthday this year my son gave me a beautiful philodendron-looking plant. I had never seen anything like it. The leaves are a mixture of lime green and dark green, each leaf having a different pattern. No two are exactly alike. Even though many leaves are on one stem, each leaf uses the two variations of color in a different way. Seeing all the different leaves together is really quite stunning.
One day I was sitting next to this plant. While I munched my lunch I studied the leaves. I marveled at their variation and beauty. Then it struck me, this plant is a metaphor for all of us! Take my family, for instance, all seven of my children come from the same "stem", same mother and father, yet each child is unique, and uses their blend of DNA and traits in a different way. If you think about it, I am sure your family is the same way.
If we stand back further, we can see that every person on earth has their own exclusive variation, just like the leaves on my plant. Each is unique. Each is beautiful. So why should we seem surprised when others seem different from us? Why should we be surprised when others think differently, respond differently, have a different opinion, dress differently, believe differently, and do things differently?
Instead of being surprised and sometimes not happy about it, perhaps seeing the difference in each other, and how together we make something stunning and wonderful would be better instead. Let us marvel at each other's variation and beauty. Individually and together, we are stunning!
