Ode to Cactus

Interestingly I've realized that I haven't done a post up until now. Hmmm. Oh well.

This is a post dedicated to my cactus. Yes, it's true, I do have a cactus. Some of you may not have known this little fact about me, but I realized it was time to come out with the truth. On my 11th birthday, my 5th grade teacher gave me a little cactus that he had on his desk. At the time, it was about 3-4 inches tall and about an inch in diameter. That first Christmas, we were away for a brother's wedding and when we came back, we noticed that some mice thought they would snack on my cactus. It had 3 little bite marks at the top of it. Over the years it grew and we would eventually put it in a bigger pot. It not only grew up, but started growing thicker. Soon enough, in order to keep it from tipping over, we had to bury the legendary bite marks.

The cactus didn't have a very big fan club in my family. It tended to be a bit defensive about its personal space.

Well, over the years of college and mission, I've left the care of my cactus in the hands of its grandmother, my mother. My mother is the person that gave meaning to the term "green thumb". As children, we often wondered who she loved more, her children or her plants. In extreme cases she claimed it was the plants because they never talked back to her! So, anyway, back to the cactus. While it was in my mother's care, it flourished! It loved my mom SO much that it more than doubled its size in the 2-3 years that she had it constantly.

But, trying to be a good mother myself, I would have the cactus move with me from apartment to apartment. This proved to be a bad idea and my poor cactus still bears the scars of abuse it endured while in my hands.

It still makes my heart ache to see these scars. Well for the past few years, I finally came to the realization that it really was better for my cactus to be cared for by my mother. I finally decided to let go of the selfishness and thought first of what was best for it. So back to grandma's it went.

Well, in the past few months, my mother has decided that it was about time that I became a responsible adult and take care of my own cactus. She threatened to leave it outside when winter was starting to set in. I tried to convince her that I was an unfit mother and even threatened harm to the cactus. (It was all psychology; I was trying to convince her to keep it. I would never have actually hurt it purposefully)

Finally it was decided that I would take the cactus and bring it to my office. My office has a south facing window which gets a lot of sunlight and figured it was the best place for my cactus. The day arrived to move the cactus. I noticed that it had grown a 6 inch off shoot at the top. The top of the cactus was also damaged in a repotting incident, so it was a bit miraculous to see this growth. Unfortunately, moving a 6 foot cactus is pretty precarious and in the process of moving, that 6 inch growth broke off. (Update on small piece: it was been in intensive care for the past 2 months and is showing strong signs of survival).

Other than that incident, the move was successful and the cactus has been pretty content basking in the sunshine. My co-workers have taken quite a liking to the cactus. One co-worker has taken to calling it Steve, but I don't know about that.

So, it is with great pride and pleasure that I announce that my cactus loves its home, has forgiven me for my past mistakes and is flourishing! Yesterday morning as I was watering it, I noticed this:

IT'S GROWING!!!!! I don't think it ever grew for my mother in the winter. Such a sweet moment for me. We've been through a lot together, my cactus and I.... (wiping tears away) and we will continue to have good times ahead. The End.

:)