Mari is a marigold that lives in a beautiful garden. She is a happy flower. She has many friends. Life is good in the garden, but not without some hard times too. There is a kind and gentle Gardener that tends the garden. He wears big rubber boots and overalls. Many times, the Gardener comes with a water hose which he uses to carefully water the flowers that live there.
One hot summer day Mari said “When is the Gardener coming back? I am ready for some water. My mouth is dry and my leaves are gettin’ wilty. I feel like a Cesar Salad left in the back seat of somebody’s car!” she said. She tried to keep a sense of humor about these things, at least at first.
Her friend Sunnie the sunflower looked at her in surprise.
“Why the Gardener came by with his water hose just this morning. Didn’t you see him?”
“What? Why didn’t I get any water?” Mari said, shocked.
“Well I don’t know why you didn’t” said Sunnie, “maybe he is angry with you and didn’t want to give you any water.”
“Angry?” thought Mari. That didn’t sound like the Gardener she knew.
Mari decided to trust that the Gardener was not angry with her. “He’ll come by with the water hose soon” she reassured herself.
The next day was even hotter. She spoke to her friend Daisy about it.
“When is the Gardener coming back? I am ready for some water. My mouth is dry and my leaves are gettin’ wilty” Mari said, forcing a smile.
Her friend Daisy looked at her confused.
“Why, the Gardener came by just this morning, didn’t you see him?”
“No” said Mari, discouraged and frustrated, “I didn’t.”
“Well I don’t know why you didn’t” said Daisy, “maybe he forgot about you.”
“Forgot about me?” thought Mari. That didn’t sound like the Gardener she knew.
Mari decided to trust that the Gardener had not forgotten her. “He’ll come by with the water hose soon” she reassured herself.
And the next day was even hotter. She spoke to her friend Cathy the cactus.
“When is the Gardener coming back? I am dying of thirst!” Mari said, in desperation.
Cathy the cactus had a lot of baggage of her own still to work through and she spoke out of her bitter root. “He tried to give me water this morning, but I held him back with my long cactus pricklies on account of my intimacy issues.”
“I didn’t see him or his water hose.” Mari said, as she began to loose hope.
“Well I don’t know why you didn’t” said Daisy, “He must not love you anymore” she said matter-of-factly.
“Doesn’t love me anymore?” thought Mari. That didn’t sound like the Gardener she knew. But she couldn’t explain why she hadn’t seen him or why he hadn’t come by with his water hose. He knew she needed it! Where was he?
Mari decided to trust that the Gardener had not stopped loving her. “He’ll come by with the water hose soon” she reassured herself. But it was getting really hard.
That night Mari woke up to the exciting sound of rolling thunder. As lightning lit up the sky, she saw a sight that made her heart leap! The Gardener! He was standing right beside her just smiling a reassuring smile. It began to rain on both of them. The cool rain! It soaked into her roots, it washed the dust from her leaves, and it dripped from the long thick beard of the Gardener as he stood over her and began to laugh! They laughed together and then he spoke.
“Mari, you know I was not angry with you. You know I had not forgotten you. And you know that nothing in this world could make me stop loving you!”
Just then, Mari noticed that the rain was not falling on the other flowers in the garden. It was only falling on the two of them! This rain was just for her.
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