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This past week has been all about the weather.....beautiful weather.  If it would be like this year round I would be so happy. Sunny and 70 and perfect! So of course it is time to plant.  There is the normal garden of peppers, tomatoes, carrots, etc, and then there are the Native gardens.  This year my focus is on my Job's Tears/aka Cherokee Corn Tears.  I almost ran out this year so it seems as though I need a larger crop.  Last year wasn't the best year for them so hopefully this year will be a little better. 

So - I am here in Indiana.  I thought maybe you could follow along with my crop this year.  I am planting the first round today on April 19th.  I will try to let you know how my crop is doing, how the harvest is, etc.

This are a meaningful crop for sure. Legend has it that the Cherokee found these along the Trail of Tears and used them for personal adornment which is how they came to be known as Cherokee Corn Tears.  There are also Biblical references to these beads that are known to represent Job from the book of Job in the Bible.  Job was known for enduring great suffering and loss, which in my own opinion sounds much like what the Trail of Tears would have been like. The more these beads are rubbed the shinier they become.  These are perfect beads for jewelry and rosaries.

The pictures here are a good representation of what they are.  The center picture shows the "beads" before they are mature.  As you can see there are inner stems.  This is the part that you pull out, usually with tweezers and then you end up with a perfect channel by which to sew or string them by.  The mature "beads" look like the other pictures.  Some are different shades of grey and some are even white. I have some that are very old so I can tell you for certain that they will last for many many years. 

 I found the rest of my stash, thank goodness!  Supplies are low so get them while they last.  Here is the link! 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/276618212/cherokee-corn-tears-jobs-tears-corn?ref=shop_home_listings

April is the month of showers which leads me on the quest of finding my first rainbow of the season. Rainbows have always been special for me.  I used to have a business named Rainbow Art & Frame.  For me rainbows seem to bring messages.  They seem to show up just when I need encouragement or an extra ounce of hope. Usually you see them in the afternoon in the eastern sky but a couple of years ago I saw the most amazing rainbow at dawn in the western sky.  It was an amazing rainbow and the first and only time I have ever seen one in the western sky. 

So in speaking of suffering and hope, this seems like the perfect time for my thoughts of the week.  There are so many around us that struggle with so many things.  For some it is hard to even get through a day.  Some are in chronic pain, some are emotionally or physically abused, some have just run out of steam with everything, and these are the people we know! I am a believer in blooming where you are planted.  My Cherokee corn tears are going to bloom right where I planted them.  We are much like the little seed.  We all have our lives going on in our own little worlds/gardens.  Even with the divisiveness in the world today can't we all agree to be kind to one another? Sometimes a phone call, a text, email, or an actual card can make a huge difference to someone.  Maybe you can give of your time, mow the neighbors lawn, give them some extra fruit or a bundle of flowers the next time you go to the store and tell them you just had extra.  How about doing something extra for those that service you?  Your food servers, hair stylists, bankers, all of those who help you.  

There are two songs that have a similar message.  Tim McGraw's, "Humble and Kind", and Dirk Bentley's, "Riser".  Lets all be risers and lift someone else up.  You never know, in doing so you may lift yourself up as well. 

Until next time my friends......get out there and make a difference in the world....right where we are. - Julie