A young woman I know had a rose garden. It wasn't elaborate or intricate, just simple and pleasing. Her garden was a continuous source of satisfaction, comfort and pleasure. She would anticipate the annual shower of rosebuds followed by a wide array of delicate blooms in a variety of colors each colorful bloom like a little daub of paint from nature's palette. Most evenings when she returned home from a stressful day at work, she would retreat to the sanctuary of this friendly rose garden and tend to her roses. This would be a time of renewal for my friend as well as the roses. It would afford her the atmosphere to relax and unwind from the pressures of a workplace littered with rude people, always urgent deadlines and nerve shattering phones that would beckon for immediate attention. Once in the friendly confines of her rose garden, she could lower her guard, remove the armor required to face the workplace and let the tension melt away to feel the comfort of her hands in the warm moist soil to hear the rhythmic chirping of a cricket or the buzzing of a bumblebee to catch a gentle breeze wafting across her cheek as sunbeams danced off her vibrant red hair. Quite a contrast to the hectic office environment, it was a time to reflect and leave the outside world for a brief journey to a better place.

But, as often happens, life will guide us to new horizons. When we accept the challenge and explore these pathways to the future we must always leave some of our life to the past. Such was the case with the rose garden. New people, new places, new things. Gradually the roses became overgrown, neglected and starved for the attention needed to allow them to thrive. Then, quietly, the friendly little rose garden slipped into history.

As we move through the garden of life, we are given the chance to cultivate relationships with friends, spouses, children and parents. We often wonder why our relationships change. Especially when the people just "drift apart". It can be self-evident when contact is broken such as when we leave school or change jobs. But when there is no apparent cause for a change in a close relationship, it can leave someone to ponder what happened. At that point, it would be wise to recognize that relationships are a lot like roses. There is variety. There are different intensities. And, they can be fragile. The common component of all good relationships is attention. People bond with other people who bring something good and needed into their life. To maintain the positive growth in a relationship you must continue to provide the nutrition required to sustain the relationship. When the balance shifts from good and needed to unpleasant and unwanted, the relationship begins to drift apart. A good relationship takes effort. You must nurture your relationships as you would the delicate flowers in a rose garden or they will wither and die just as surely as will the roses.