I didn’t plant pansies, so my January garden is void of petals.  I’ve turned my attention to houseplants this month.  A room with a living plant in it just feels so healthy, doesn’t it?  (All those cheery leaves releasing oxygen for us to breathe!)  The following is a list of blessings in my life over the past month, some growing and green, some “blooming” for only a moment in time.

* My two boys, dancing in their miniature tuxedos at my baby sister’s wedding

* Little One, about being a ring bearer, “S—— was a flower girl, and I was a teddy bear.”

* My sister saying that our parents’ marriage gave her the foundation to say “I do” with confidence

* Peperomia “Baby Rubber Plant” – I gave this plant to each of my bridesmaids almost 14 years ago.  One of them gave me a cutting of hers, and it is still growing happily in my breakfast nook!

* Gazing at the “Wolf” moon outside my window, thinking of Laura Ingalls in her cabin surrounded by wolves, and feeling grateful for home

* Reading The Giving Tree to Little One

* Steaming cups of hot tea

* Watching Saving Mr. Banks with my husband

(Emma Thompson, playing P.L. Travers in the movie, says, “Tea is balm for the soul.”  I would certainly agree.  I’ve been cradling hot mugs close this month.)

* Sunlight on pine floors

* Prayer Plant:  the perfect terrarium plant!  I love the way prayer plant is brushed with innocent pink.  Some people say it folds its “hands” at night, as if in prayer.  This houseplant loves moisture.  It won’t grow for me unless it is in a terrarium.  (You can make a quick terrarium by placing a glass dome over a normal pot.)

* Twirling through an open field on a hike with my husband

* Psalm 139 – such beauty and comfort

* Surprise “spring” days in January

* Reading beside the fireplace on a winter night

* Heart-leaf philodendron:  it climbs!  Cousin to the draping vine pothos, which has the honor of being my most-used houseplant, these heart-shaped leaves will ascend a kitchen cabinet.  Both are fun to root in a vase of water.

* Baking banana bread while half-watching a Disney movie with my boys

* A winter night sky, alight with wonder

* The sound of my eight-year-old praying

* Soul homes that bring tears of joy when you experience them

* A getaway to the country with my husband, my love

* Jesus Calling, given to me by a dear friend and filling my mornings with “the peace which transcends all understanding”

* The love and happiness in my mother’s voice when she answered my phone call at bedtime on a Tuesday

* Warm sunlight streaming through the windows on a cold morning

* My helpful and caring father-in-law

Here are some other easy houseplants I grow:

• Dracaena
• Aloe vera
• Ficus tree
• Jade
• Polka dot plant (pictured at the top of this post) – I just added this to my collection, so I can’t claim success yet!