ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL

Gardening can be a solitary hobby much of the time. There are so many "necessary evils" that could be considered tedious and repetitive. Weeding, pinching, tying up, picking earwigs & rocks - these thing take a lot of time, and others in our lives are not exactly clamoring to spend hours in all kinds of weather to join us in our quest for the perfect dahlia. That being the case, it is understandable that we would choose to join a society that supports our horticultural habit, but still gives us our space. Most of us are rather (fiercely!) protective of our individual plants, and we really don't want others taking care of our "babies." Somehow those of us in "the club", as we affectionately call our dahlia society, have managed to strike a pretty good balance between helping, advising and letting go. The diversity of our membership is our greatest strength. The collective information, experience and commitment to our mission helps each of us to learn, grow, and try new things. Being a part of "the club" provides each of us with the support that keeps a lot of us from giving up or getting discouraged. I was reminded of this yesterday when club member Mike Cattin and I stopped by Harborview Medical Center to visit our very own Miracle. Due in part to her tenacity, her excellent physical condition, and overall scrappiness, Beth has had the opportunity to work with the Rehab/Therapy folks at Harborview for the past week. Two weeks post-accident, she has made excellent progress. The soft tissue injuries and swelling are becoming less of an obstacle for her, and her vision is improving. The trauma from the head injury has cause some short term memory and orientation issues, but the occupational and physical therapies are very effective in helping to reconnect those processes for her. Beth has a great family who has been by her side constantly, and the care she has received at Harborview is second to none (although the ice cream on her dinner tray is not as good as that in the cafeteria downstairs!) We shared the good wishes that so many of you sent with us, letting her know how very much you care and how important she is to so many of us. The generosity that Beth regularly shares, such as time, tubers, ideas and enthusiasm, has endeared her to us all, and we made sure that she knew how she has touched so many of us by being part of our lives and our club. She appeared to be genuinely surprised and delighted to hear this, and there is no doubt that she was lifted up as a result of your thoughtfulness. Her room was replete with cards, flowers and plants, all tangible proof of her extended reach into numerous hearts. She laughed, made jokes, and smiled a lot while we were there. I told her that she reminded me of those little fairies in Cinderella, who created sparkles on everything they touched with their magic wands. I told her that she was one of those people who make the world a better place, just by being here. While there is no way we can measure the strength that she has gained from everyone's support, let there be no doubt that everyone who has kept Beth in their thoughts, prayers, hearts has made a difference in her recovery. Like most people, I like to think of myself as pretty self-sufficient and independent, and conceptually, that's a good thing. But it isn't the only thing. The sense of being cared for and about, the joy of mutual accomplishment when we have worked together on something, the composite of ideas and information that we find in conversation, the broadened base of interest and knowledge that we gain by adding another person to our structural foundations, the greater good that often results from compromise, and in general, connecting - linking arms in a metaphorical chain - makes us all stronger as individuals, and as a club.