Once in a lifetime

This lovely little agave plant that lives in our front yard is performing a once in a lifetime ritual right now. This is it as it appeared in snow a few months ago. Lovely.

This is the little agave as it appeared yesterday. The ritual is blooming, and for a Century plant, it only happens once in it’s lifetime. Then, it gives all it has to the bloom and dies. A friend told me that sometimes babies live under the bottom layer. If that’s true, I will replant the babies in a better location to thrive and grow. It started getting a bud in the center of the plant about 10 days ago and it’s now over 8′ tall. I’m not sure if this is it’s full height yet but the bloom will stay for a few months before the whole plant gives up the ghost.

the stem is only about 3 days old and about 2′ tall.

It’s hard to think of things as lovely as this dying after living such a short life. Most bloom after 12-15 years so the idea that they live 100 isn’t true. Regardless, this once in a lifetime experience is both beautiful and sad at the same time. I have photographed this agave many times since I moved into this house with it’s alien looking leaves and beauty. I will miss it and hope to replace it with another agave.

It makes me reflect a bit on the circle of life and the loses and gains we all experience in life. My stepdad is struggling with stage 4 lung cancer right now and has been in and out of the hospital a few times in the past 2 weeks because of treatment. Buddy and I are planning a trip to see them this summer and Hubby will fly there over the weekend we’re there so he can get to know his in-laws. I know they already like him although they’ve never met him.

I also think of new lives, like my great niece and nephew, and how much I miss seeing them grow up like I got to experience their momma growing up. My niece considers me a grandparent to her kiddos since I care more about them than her own mother, my sister. It will be many years yet before I’m truly a grandma myself so I consider this a great honor. I love them as if they were mine. Right now the baby is suffering from a nasty ear infection and was to the emergency room twice yesterday for not eating and running a high fever. My niece is such a good momma and I’m proud of her!

I wish that my family could be closer so I could be with them physically and give them hugs and see their faces. I wish I could play with my "grandkids" and see them as they grow steadily. I wish I could be back "home" but I’ve been here for 17.5 years now and my son was born here so this is as close to "home" as I get. All the changes in life leave me in awe sometimes, and sad other times.

Once in a life time is never enough!!

J