CRAPE MYRTLE

One day in June George looked out the window and said, "That tree is going to be beautiful! It's full of buds!"

Remembering how beautiful it had already been when it already bloomed a couple of weeks before, I decided he was seeing things. I looked out the window, and the "buds" he had seen were the little black dead balls that still clung to the limbs in clusters - mere remnants of the beautiful crape myrtle blossoms. I didn't say it, but I thought, "Don't you think black buds are dead?"

Two days later the tree was full of mature green buds just getting ready to blossom. Some clusters of dead black balls were still there, but I had to search for them to see them.

I guess I chose to see what I expected - I thought the blooming season was over and I was determined to remain disappointed about missing the beautiful flowers. George saw what was real.