I had to pick up something from a parishioner last Friday. She invited me in for a carefully masked chat

and showed me one of her Christmas gifts: the biggest pink amaryllis I have ever seen.

It is a magnificent flower, easily more than 3-feet high, with a sturdy, unsupported stalk and three giant pink blossoms.

All of this beauty grew out of something that looks like a large onion. The pot is filled with rocks, not rich soil. All it needed was the right amount of light and water. It also had the company of other plants. Maybe they were silently cheering on this newcomer, encouraging it to turn into something even more dazzling than anything they could ever hope to be.

The bulb, that unremarkable onion-shaped thing, contained within it the potential for something to delight and impress our eyes. Just add water and light for it to reach its full potential.

How many more things, or people, around us might enjoy reaching their full potential with just a little bit of attention, a little bit of water and light?

John Terauds, CPE Intern