Committee Work is the Gift that Keeps on Giving
Plants and people have a lot in common. We all come in different shapes and sizes. Some need a lot of attention, while others are happy to be on their own. Several like to be in full sun enjoying all the splendor, while others are more than happy to sit back and revel in the shade.
If we are settled in the right location, we grow, an inter-beauty emerges and we are happy. This is what I have observed with the members on the Black Mountain Beautification Committee.
We have a lot of remarkable committee members that are so giving of their time, talent and energy. Their talents can be seen around town, the mini-gardens in containers, the carefully tended public garden sites and the lushly landscaped gardens outlining Town Square.
A lot is done behind the scenes and here are just a few of those generous gifts of time:
Whenever committee events are happening, rest assured that one of our long-serving members will bring coffee and treats. The table will be ready with refreshments waiting for us before, during and after our task. As we take a break, she will recant stories from our past events. As we thank her for the refreshments, she says it's nothing, as she enjoys watching all that we do and wished she could do more. But what she has done is a gift to us, in making sure we relax and enjoy the moment.
Being a volunteer treasurer can be a time consuming and sometimes thorny task. As we discuss all the different gardening ideas for the town, our treasurer is quietly taking it all in. After we finish, she gives us her objective view, then methodically looks over the budget to see whether it's doable. Whether or not we get a nod of approval, we are thankful for her voice of reason and sharp financial eye.
It all started one day with a meeting at the Cherry Street bathroom garden site. The site had been tended to with deep care but more needed to be done. With a discerning look at the building, a member offered to repaint the wood exterior and another volunteered to paint a mural of a “small mountain scene”. Now when walking on Cherry Street, the mural draws you into the garden site, welcomes you with a magical embrace and immediately makes you feel at home.
Over the past several years, two of our talented members have created scarecrows known around town as Rocky & Rockette. In the summer, they carve out precious time to put the scarecrows together, with gently used clothes, and carefully crafting their faces with special buttons, materials and interesting finds. As the season moves into fall, the scarecrows return to Town Square to welcome visitors into town. And on any given day, people will be sitting on the rhododendron bench with Rocky, taking a selfie to share a memorable moment.
Our garden sale starts promptly at 9 am on the 3rd Saturday in May, for all to come and purchase different plant varieties for your garden. What people don't see, is at 5 am early bird volunteers are already there helping the arriving vendors unload their plants and setting up their booths. This same volunteering is repeated at the end of the day. This is just one of the reasons why the vendors come back year after year. Something special that our committee does for them, in appreciation of them attending the event for you.
All it took was an email one day, that a bench was in need of repair at a garden site. This bench was still in good shape but was leaning more to one side than center and needed some tender loving care. In a matter of minutes, a goodhearted handyman member offered to get the bench back into shape for sitting. It was an easy task for him and a friend to do, but it meant a lot to us and the next person who sat on that bench.
These are just a handful of stories illustrating, it's not how much to give, but how we give. Now it's your turn to be apart of the story to give your gift of time. By giving from the heart and with a desire to connect, you can make a common occasion into something special.
With a little thought, someone or some organization will come to mind who might need a helping hand. It will not only be a gift for them, but a special gift of happiness for you. Happy Holidays!
Bio: Lyndall Noyes-Brownell proudly serves as co-chair for Black Mountain Beautification Committee, an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer of Buncombe County and chair of Black Mountain Blooms Seed Lending Library. She is the webmaster for blackmountainbeautification.org and cares for plant containers in downtown Black Mountain.