Danny bought a cactus.
It was small and spikey
with magnificent red flowers
that cascaded down
from thick, dark green leaves.
After a time
the blossoms faded
and all that remained
was a small, plain,
spikey cactus.

Danny placed it carefully
in the garage,
where he occasionally gave it
a teaspoon of water,
insisting
that it would flower again.

When Danny died
Dolores cared for the cactus,
just as Danny had.
After some time
she brought it into her kitchen
and placed it carefully
on the windowsill,
reminding us
that Danny had never given up
on his wee cactus.

Then one day
tiny buds came.
Day by day
they slowly grew
and then opened
until finally
Danny’s cactus
cascaded red, ornate blossoms
once more.

Those blossoms
have since faded
and soon Danny’s cactus
will be returned to the garage.
But now we understand –
Danny’s cactus is faded
but it’s fine;
it’s simply in a phase
of dormancy.

Life, at times,
can be harrowing
and can leave us
feeling drained
and so exhausted
that we have no energy left
to be interested
in anything.
We feel a need
to withdraw
from the world
and, like Danny’s cactus,
we enter a spiritual state
of dormancy.

While we are dormant
Our God continues to care for us,
shielding us,
loving us tenderly,
gently strengthening us
and never giving up on us,
even when we
give up on ourselves.
Eventually
we begin to slowly come to terms
with life
which has, sadly,
changed forever.
We begin to feel ready
to embrace this changed life
and, with the help of Our God,
we blossom once more
just like Danny’s cactus.

© Claire Murray (8th April 2015)