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	Local mystery writer Kristin Witt recalls when marigolds taught her an important lesson.

BLOOMS BREAK FORTH

after eight years...

My most worthy tale of springtime planting happened many years ago. My husband and I had not been married long and our finances were snug to say the least. It was late April and we were living in a rented house with many flower beds, but not one flower to show for it.

I was sure that in order to survive this rather “parched” time in our lives I simply had to have flowers, but I had not a dime to contribute to the effort. Then I remembered some marigold seeds that a friend had given me many years earlier. The seeds were around eight years old, but I figured they were worth a try.

I planted the seeds in a bed just off our patio, where I knew there would be a lot of sun. I received the usual words of wisdom from people who knew about plants. I was told that after eight years the seeds probably wouldn’t germinate, that the soil I was planting in was solid clay and, without improvement, wouldn’t grow a thing, and that without plant food the seeds would certainly starve to death.

I removed the stones from the crumbly soil and planted my marigold seeds, and after a full week I still had no sign of life. I was told they should have begun sprouting within two or three days, but I thought, since they had been sleeping for eight years, there was a good chance they would be slow to wake up. I watered my patch of dirt faithfully and I have to admit that every night, when I prayed for my family, I also prayed for my seeds.

Finally, after eight days, something green began to press through the ground. I was warned that there was a good chance it was only weeds, but I kept watering. By the end of June I had marigold plants at least a foot high and by mid-July they had burst into an array of color that was nothing short of glorious. The plants filled the bed and even crept around the corner of the patio to fill another empty bed. And those so-called “annuals” had driven their roots so deep they bloomed every summer that we lived in that house. Obviously, after eight years of waiting those seeds were ready to show their stuff.

I walked away from that summer with life lessons: that sometimes to get what you really need you have to take a chance on something that seems hopeless, that great things often emerge from the rockiest of soil, and that advice given in ignorance is usually worthless.

When the people around you are telling you it won’t work, they are unaware of a most important truth. You have something growing in you that has waited a long time to show itself, and when the time is right, it will bloom. And it will be spectacular.

Kristin Witt is an author and speaker from Evergreen. Her first novel, “String the Dark Pearl,” a mystery thriller set in Denver, is available at Hearthfire Books and Seasonally Yours in Evergreen and Mountain Books in Aspen Park. Kristin is currently working on her second novel and is available to speak to your group about writing and life, and why both are worthwhile. To book Kristin for your next event, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

MDA Lock-Up in Evergreen to raise money for people with muscular dystrophy like 14-year-old Ethan Beaudoin.

lock-up at Rio Del Sol to help Ethan & many others

Fourteen-year-old Evergreen resident Ethan Beaudoin was diagnosed with mitochodrial myopathy, a form of muscular dystrophy, when he was three years old. It weakens the body’s muscles, making it necessary for Ethan to use a wheelchair.

Ethan is an enthusiast of the great American pastime of baseball, playing and watching the game whenever he can and naming his dog Rockie after the Colorado Rockies.

He also loves to play video games and hanging out with his family and friends.

Every year, Ethan attends the Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp for an entire week. While there he has his own camp counselor and gets to see all of his friends who also have neuromuscular diseases.

Ethan loves the freedom this week gives him to be like a normal kid and be surrounded by those that empathize with him. It also gives his parents some time off from their daily responsibilities while knowing Ethan is in a safe environment where he is having a lot of fun.

In order to help families like the Beaudoins in the area, members of the community participate in MDA Lock-Ups. This year, Evergreen and Conifer business and community leaders are volunteering to be “arrested and serve time” in a mock jail at Rio Del Sol Thursday, March 4.

Each participant is sentenced to “raise bail” by calling friends and encouraging contributions.

Several local businesses are supporting the community event with “jailbird” transportation donated by Go Subaru West and jailhouse space and food donated by Rio Del Sol. During their one hour in jail on March 4, the participants will get their mug shots taken, make phone calls, enjoy lunch and meet other Evergreen and Conifer community leaders.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat neuromuscular disease. It is the first nonprofit recognized by the American Medical Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award “for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity.” Heather Lee is the fund-raising coordinator for the association in Denver. Contact her at 303-691-3331. Visit www.joinmda.org/2010evergreenco for the Evergreen Lock-Up registration page.