By Marvin Miller, AIB President
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest of walls.”
~Robert F. Kennedy
I recently returned from a lengthy trip where I visited much of the California coast and Southwest Texas. As I flew home on day 16 of the trip, I began thinking about this column. Among the many e-mails that awaited my attention was an e-newsletter with an article about a Harvard college student who was running the Boston Marathon to help raise money for a particular cause about which he was quite passionate. His goal was to raise $100,000. The quote above was cited as part of his motivation. That is passion.
I, too, was recently “accused” of being quite passionate. An acquaintance of many years, with whom I recently had come to work more closely, stopped me to say, “After all these years, I finally realize why I admire you. You are quite passionate about this industry [horticulture]. And you are passionate about America in Bloom.” Guilty.
Asked to describe the cause of this passion, I could only speak to what I have seen over and over again. Plants do have a way of changing the environment, both literally and figuratively. In Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas last month, the cactuses were blooming. If you’ve ever questioned the capacity of people to really admire flowers, then you have never seen a desert full of Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom being photographed by a group of grown men. Cactuses can really change a man, and they can also change the landscape – especially when they’re blooming!
As I travel, I often notice two versions of the world around us. I see cities and towns unified only by the litter in the streets and the graffiti on the walls of vacant buildings. I ask myself how this much litter can end up in one place with no one caring enough to clean it up. The alternative is witnessed in cities with welcome signs planted (even with cactuses), streets that are litter-free, and businesses that are flourishing. Ironically, these two scenarios do not seem to depend on relative wealth or population, for I’ve seen examples of both in cities and towns large and small, with expensive looking homes and storefronts, and those much more modest.
Instead, what seems to vary in the alternatives is pride. In even some of the smallest of towns, the church often stands out as the best-kept building. After all, no one wants to be accused of attending a run-down church. And where the church glistens in the morning sun, there is no litter and the homes are planted as if to say, “I live here and I care.” In other towns, the cemetery might be the “best kept” lot. Perpetual care can go a long way, but when graves are marked with falling and rotted crosses, even the signs designating the cemetery as being a special place cannot belie its character. This, too, is a reflection of a community’s self esteem, but it is far different than the first. Really, like the radiating branches of the Ocotillo (Fonquieria splendens), especially when in leaf and in bloom, much of what you see is connected to how you’re rooted.
When we at America in Bloom talk about “Planting pride in our communities!” it comes from real experiences. When we solicit your participation, it is because we know the power of flowers and plants to change men’s (and women’s and children’s) lives. When we ask for your contributions, it is because we can’t be too evangelical in spreading the word. We, too, have passion!
Please join us.
______________________________
All photos taken in Big Bend National Park, April 2010 © by Marvin N. Miller.
(1) Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande River. (2) Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.) with Chisos Mountains. (3) Ocotillo (Fonquieria splendens) in the Chihuahuan Desert with the Chisos Mountains.
~Robert F. Kennedy
I recently returned from a lengthy trip where I visited much of the California coast and Southwest Texas. As I flew home on day 16 of the trip, I began thinking about this column. Among the many e-mails that awaited my attention was an e-newsletter with an article about a Harvard college student who was running the Boston Marathon to help raise money for a particular cause about which he was quite passionate. His goal was to raise $100,000. The quote above was cited as part of his motivation. That is passion.
I, too, was recently “accused” of being quite passionate. An acquaintance of many years, with whom I recently had come to work more closely, stopped me to say, “After all these years, I finally realize why I admire you. You are quite passionate about this industry [horticulture]. And you are passionate about America in Bloom.” Guilty.
As I travel, I often notice two versions of the world around us. I see cities and towns unified only by the litter in the streets and the graffiti on the walls of vacant buildings. I ask myself how this much litter can end up in one place with no one caring enough to clean it up. The alternative is witnessed in cities with welcome signs planted (even with cactuses), streets that are litter-free, and businesses that are flourishing. Ironically, these two scenarios do not seem to depend on relative wealth or population, for I’ve seen examples of both in cities and towns large and small, with expensive looking homes and storefronts, and those much more modest.
When we at America in Bloom talk about “Planting pride in our communities!” it comes from real experiences. When we solicit your participation, it is because we know the power of flowers and plants to change men’s (and women’s and children’s) lives. When we ask for your contributions, it is because we can’t be too evangelical in spreading the word. We, too, have passion!
Please join us.
______________________________
All photos taken in Big Bend National Park, April 2010 © by Marvin N. Miller.
(1) Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande River. (2) Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia spp.) with Chisos Mountains. (3) Ocotillo (Fonquieria splendens) in the Chihuahuan Desert with the Chisos Mountains.
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