Battle Buddies, Baby Bunnies, And Carrots
- Brainz Magazine
- Mar 30, 2022
- 4 min read
Written by: Josephine Claire, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
There is nothing harder for a mother to endure than listening to her child in pain call for help, no matter what age or how grown-up, being far away, and she can’t physically be there to hold them. To fix it. When my son joined the armed forces, he was pursuing his lifelong dream. Just weeks into basic training he was seriously injured, and I got that dreaded call. He was in physical pain with both hips broken, a broken pelvis, and both legs with multiple fractures, but it was his emotional pain I knew was the worst. His planned career ended. His dream was over.
He came home and started his recovery. I would spend hours talking with him about his experience up to the accident and how much he had loved all of it. I learned a new language through him, hats were covers, and everyone always had a battle buddy with them. This intrigued me. What was a battle buddy? He explained to me that a battle buddy wasn’t just a friend, it was someone that would watch your back, always find you, never leave you, you went everywhere as a team. I became my son’s battle buddy while he recovered. During the hardest times, I would tell him that everything happens for a reason, sometimes we just don’t know what that reason is. And then we do.
After his lengthy recovery, he was looking forward to starting a new job. I was enthusiastic for him, it all looked bright. One day I noticed something different in the mirror, and started the most intense fight of my life, for my life. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I needed my husband to keep working so we didn’t lose the health insurance. My son quit his new job and became my battle buddy. He took me to every appointment and treatment, he advocated for me when I needed a doctor’s help, and he comforted me when I was too tired to go on. And I beat it.
I was declared cancer-free the day the Covid lockdowns started. I didn’t get to ring a bell or have a party. We nervously isolated, I was warned that I was extremely at risk. It really wasn’t hard because I suffered extreme fatigue that took forever to deal with. I would lay on the couch day after day aware that I had abandoned all of my businesses, which left me spiraling down and down. I would try to go outside and walk, but after a few steps I would end up sitting on the sidewalk exhausted. I was so afraid that I had lost all of my business opportunities, was my chance to succeed gone? All my connections over? My dream of writing a book would never happen. I was miserable. Then my battle buddy suggested we go look at the garden.
I hadn’t tended the garden in over a year and a half, it was spring, time to plant, and now I didn’t have the energy to even think about working in it. The last time I had tried to grow something was carrots. I had seeded and watered, as usual, and they never sprouted, not one. Which was surprising, I thought the seeds must have been defected. We slowly walked to the overgrown mess that used to be my garden, and as I survey the tangled weeds, I noticed that one plant looked like a carrot. I pulled it up, and it was a beautiful, lovely carrot. How did this happen? My son and I were so surprised! And then I saw another smaller carrot top, I grabbed the hoe to clear away the weeds around it so it could grow better. Just as pulled the hoe through the weeds, a patch of dried brown grass right beside it shifted. At first, I thought there must be a snake, so I pulled the hoe gently over that patch to frighten it away, but instead, I got a big surprise, it was a nest of eight tiny little baby bunnies. The cottontails were so tightly balled up together they looked like one single thing, yet eight little pairs of eyes looked up at me, blinking. I carefully placed the dried grass back over them, knowing that their mother would soon be back. And I started crying.
I cried because even while I worried and feared that my life and work had come to a halt, in all actuality, God was the constant gardener. I had planted those carrots, but they didn’t sprout and grow in my time frame. They grew exactly when they should, how they should, in divine timing. And God is such a marvelous gardener, he can grow little baby bunnies in the dirt! From such a tangled up overgrown mess, was the promise of new life, renewal, and continuation. It renewed my faith. Not just my spiritual faith, it renewed my faith in myself. Yes, my recovery took much longer than I had expected it would. Fatigue is horrible. Yes, my businesses suffered. And yes, I wasn’t done having serious health problems while, yes, the whole world shutdown over Covid. But, yes, things were going on in the background that I was unaware of, just like in my garden. All that was necessary was that I trust and believe.
Now, I’m feeling strong. I’m relaunching my businesses, and it feels wonderful to be helping my clients begin or improve their Spiritual Businesses. I’m writing my book. I’m doing private coaching. I’m planning my next workshop and I’m designing new jewelry. I’m back! I’m transforming, inspiring, and motivating others. I trust and believe. Oh, and the bunnies all grew up and come to visit all of the time!
Josephine Claire, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Miss Josephine is a leader in transformational motivation! She provides support, mentoring, and coaching for those interested in entering the Spiritual Biz market and for those who are in the business and are ready to grow and expand their business. As an Online Empathic Psychic, she offers in-depth, personal, and informative readings and life coaching. Her passion is to help others find their life purpose, true loves, careers, and correct paths for more fulfilling and successful lives.
