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by Lynne Cory

What if I have a garden and in my garden is a huge, strong, majestic oak tree which spreads its branches widely and gives comforting shade to all who pass? What if there is also a rose bush with its prickly thorns which shares its sweet fragrance each time I pass by? And what if over there are the delicate Narcissus which herald the Spring season with their pretty blossoms and then are gone and in that corner is the stately magnolia filled with enormous flowers that fill my hand? What if all together this is a magnificent place where I come to sit and enjoy and I receive something from each different plant?

What if in my life, I have a friend who is always strong and stable and another who has some negative traits but a gentle heart and another who is shy and quiet but a gentle listener and another who requires much attention but gives back 10-fold?

What if I got mad at the oak tree because it did not give me huge flowers or angry at the rose because it did not provide enough shade? What if I appreciated all of my friends for their unique assets to my life and did not want them to be what they were not?