{"id":1360,"date":"2013-04-27T14:09:05","date_gmt":"2013-04-27T21:09:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/?p=1360"},"modified":"2013-11-08T20:55:44","modified_gmt":"2013-11-09T04:55:44","slug":"the-seed-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2013\/life\/the-seed-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"The Seed of Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years ago, when I worked as a social worker at the Child Guidance Clinic of Winnipeg, I had the privilege of meeting many young children, teens, and their families. They were referred to me by school personnel for some behavior problems they were having.<\/p>\n

There was one young teen that I remember in<\/p>\n

\"Photo

Photo of Camelias by Diana Stevan<\/p><\/div>\n

particular, because she wrote me a poem about our relationship. She called it The Seed of Hope. At the time, her family life was very troubled as her mother was mentally ill. Though exceptionally bright, my client had trouble coping and was suffering with depression. Through our work together, she found hope.\u00a0 In her poem, she referred to me as the gardener who had planted that seed of hope. I was honored by this gift and it reinforced in me, the idea that even the smallest offering of love and support can make a difference.<\/p>\n

I was reminded of that again when I thought of what my cousin Nina<\/a> had given during her life, and then just recently, how the the people of Boston reached out and gave their time and love to those in need.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"April-June

Photo of Nelly Moser Clematis by Diana Stevan<\/p><\/div>\n

Life is a garden. As we venture through it, we can prick ourselves on the thorns of anger and stumble on the weeds of despair. When that happens, any buds of beauty are choked in this untended garden.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, these weeds are difficult to see.\u00a0 They may be rooted in our psyche, reinforced by not only others’ critical judgments but also our own.\u00a0 The expression, we are our own worst enemies<\/i>, \u00a0comes from this basic human flaw in all of us.<\/p>\n

In our home gardens, we understand we have to take the time to clear them of plants that obstruct the growth of more desirable organisms. A garden of roses looks less beautiful when that first weed comes up.<\/p>\n

\"April-June

Photo of Irises by Diana Stevan<\/p><\/div>\n

Similarly, in life, we need to watch out for those thoughts and feelings that stand in our way of growth and harmony.<\/p>\n

Spring is a great time to weed out all that stands in our way of living well.<\/p>\n

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how gardens inspire you.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Years ago, when I worked as a social worker at the Child Guidance Clinic of Winnipeg, I had the privilege of meeting many young children, teens, and their families. They… <\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[88],"tags":[493,78,490,491,38,492],"class_list":["post-1360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-boston","tag-diana-stevan","tag-garden","tag-garden-of-roses","tag-poem","tag-seed-of-hope"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1LuVB-lW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2902,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2016\/uncategorized\/cover-reveal\/","url_meta":{"origin":1360,"position":0},"title":"Cover Reveal for ALONG CAME A GARDENER","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"14 \u0416\u043e\u0432\u0442\u043d\u044f, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Cover Reveal Thrilled to reveal the cover for my next book, ALONG CAME A GARDENER. In this inspirational book, I'll share some tips on managing life's ups and downs. Tips I gave my clients during my twenty-five years as a therapist. Human Pain Does Not Discriminate I've been blessed to\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Therapy"","block_context":{"text":"Therapy","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/therapy-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"untitled","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/untitled-197x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2842,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2016\/writing\/along-came-a-gardener\/","url_meta":{"origin":1360,"position":1},"title":"Along Came A Gardener","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"10 \u0412\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0441\u043d\u044f, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I've decided to take a side trip and write a non-fiction book, called Along Came A Gardener. I\u2019ll be combining my love of gardening with what I\u2019ve learned during my twenty-five years working as a family therapist. Writing What I Know Readers of my fictional works know that I\u2019ve used\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Along Came A Gardener","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Gardener-300x149.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7046,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2025\/writing\/love-and-pain\/","url_meta":{"origin":1360,"position":2},"title":"Love and Pain","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"5 \u041b\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0434\u0430, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Love and pain seem to go together. Taylor Swift and Patsy Cline hit the top of the music charts with songs about heartbreak. Everyone needs love and though we've heard these songs and stories about love going wrong, we keep searching for it anyway; we want to find the right\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hearts-and-Pages3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hearts-and-Pages3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hearts-and-Pages3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Hearts-and-Pages3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6420,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2024\/uncategorized\/along-came-a-gardener-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1360,"position":3},"title":"Along Came A Gardener","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"8 \u041b\u0438\u043f\u043d\u044f, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hallelujah; I can finally say my latest book, Along Came A Gardener, has a publishing date. It's coming March 15, 2025. This non-fiction book is part memoir, part self-help, and part stories from the world of mental health. It's also a wonderful introduction to psychotherapy, letting the reader know the\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"along came a gardener","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/small-png-book-cover.png?fit=630%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/small-png-book-cover.png?fit=630%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/small-png-book-cover.png?fit=630%2C960&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1762,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2014\/writing\/a-sucker-for-romance\/","url_meta":{"origin":1360,"position":4},"title":"A SUCKER FOR ROMANCE","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"4 \u0421\u0435\u0440\u043f\u043d\u044f, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve always been a sucker for romance. One of my favorite books is the old classic, Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. The love story between Scarlett O\u2019Hara, the southern vixen, and Rhett Butler, the man who could not be tamed, resonated with readers everywhere. In real life, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gone With The Wind","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Gone-With-The-Wind.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7070,"url":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/2025\/books\/https-www-dianastevan-com\/","url_meta":{"origin":1360,"position":5},"title":"A Year of Hope and Frustration","author":"Diana Stevan","date":"8 \u0413\u0440\u0443\u0434\u043d\u044f, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Where would we be without hope? It\u2019s what fuels our dreams and loves. But this past year has tested us all, lots of hope and frustration, with the war in Gaza and Ukraine (the birthplace of my parents), and AI threatening many livelihoods and our climate, which is already under\u2026","rel":"","context":"\u0423 "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hope and frustration","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Christmas-trilogy.jpg?fit=552%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Christmas-trilogy.jpg?fit=552%2C363&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dianastevan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Christmas-trilogy.jpg?fit=552%2C363&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1360\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dianastevan.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}