My Montmorency cherry tree is setting fruit nicely. Just beyond it, my mimosa tree is barely leafing out.

The first season after I planted the mimosa, I thought it had not survived winter. It was a collection of bare sticks while everything else was budding and blooming. Fortunately I didn’t have time to pull it out before it suddenly sent out a few leaf shoots. 

It scared me that way for a few years until I finally understood that this particular species doesn’t begin leaf production until right before the truly hot weather it loves. Now, I use mimosa buds as a sign that the seeding weather is over, and it’s time to shift gears to cope with the heat.

Luke 21:29-30 says “And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.” 

When I read this I always smile and think of my mimosa. If I was watching it for signs of spring, I’d miss spring entirely. It reminds me that if I wait for every sign of the second coming of Christ before I start preparing myself, I’ll miss Him!

~Nita Smith