One of my favorite things in the world is the annual Native Plant Sale hosted by our local Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s a great fundraiser, with the parking lot of the Heard completely full of volunteers selling native flowers, shrubs, and trees. You can learn about building a native ecosystem, attracting pollinators, what to plant where and when. I always keep the date on my calendar to look forward to.

Of course, when you buy a plant at this sale, most aren’t full sized. When you buy a tree, what you take home is a sad little stick in a big pot of dirt, maybe with a handful of tiny leaves, maybe not. The sign says “redbud” or “rough-leaf dogwood,” and you more or less have to take it on faith.

I’ve been going to this plant sale for years now, and let me tell you about scrawny little twigs. They turn into trees! Now my backyard has a Mexican plum that blooms every year. I watch cardinals and mockingbirds play on the limbs of my redbud, and my granddaughter climb on my Texas red oak. My yard is like a different place.

I’ve been thinking about those trees this month, as we talk about small things making a big difference. This is a lesson we have learned again and again in 2020. Seeing a friendly face on a zoom call. Taking a few spare cans of food to the Little Free Pantry. Finding eggs at the supermarket. These things add up to blessing. We have all felt it. And the things within our power to do, no matter how small, can bless others more than we can imagine.

If you haven’t filled out a pledge card, I invite you to click here. Think about what you have and what you can give. Through God, the smallest twigs can grow into huge trees. And your gift, even if it may seem too small to matter, can transform the lives of God’s children in our community, across our country, and all over our world.