One of the many flowers in my sunroom is a snake plant, with the proper name of Sansevieria. This one is part of a dish garden that I have had for many years. I usually try to water my indoor plants at least once a week, but sometimes I get off my schedule and forget them until I see some of them starting to droop.

The snake plant is not what most people would consider a pretty plant. Another name for it is mother-in-law’s tongue. That can bring up lots of images in some people’s minds, but we won’t go there now! For me personally, I was blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law.

Since I have other plants that bloom, most of the time I didn’t take notice of the snake plant until one day I saw something different about it. There was something new growing in the dish. It looked like a couple of little green stalks. Upon closer observation, I realized that they were growing out of the snake plant.

So . . . I went to the internet to check this out. I discovered that snake plants actually do bloom. However, the blooms are rare, and most people (including me) don’t know of their existence. Once again I am reminded of all the things that I do not know, and how I need to remember the true source of all knowledge and wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)

For a snake plant to bloom, two things usually are factors. One is the age of the plant. Older plants are more likely to bloom. In this day and age, people see the elderly as a problem or a burden (on family or society). But if you take the time to spend with them, you can find true beauty in their words, their attitudes, and even their faces.

The second factor for a snake plant to produce a bloom is neglect. Who would have thought that neglect would result in beauty! Again, many people are neglected in this world, but if we just take a little time to see them, smile, listen, or help, we can find beauty in unexpected people and places.

Through my neglect, I was blessed with beautiful blooms! The look and fragrance of the blooms is reminiscent of the honeysuckle vine. In fact, I was doubly blessed because my plant had two stalks. The rare but elusive flowers usually only have one stalk.

My thought is—how may blessings have I missed because I haven’t taken the time to notice the elderly or the neglected?

What about you? Are you missing out on beauty and blessings?

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ Matthew 25:40 NASB