Every year, we plant what I call our balcony vegetables.

As we live in a condo, our balcony is the only place we can plant vegetables, and every year we grow a handful of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers to our delight.

It's never a lot, but it's enough to allow us to enjoy the taste of vegetables from a balcony garden.
This year, we bought a trailer for our family and neglected our little garden.
Our cucumbers died, and so did our peppers, but something told me that our tomato plant had not given up.

So even though the leaves had dried up and the stems had turned brown, I decided to water it daily.
Our balcony gets sun throughout the day, so along with daily watering, our tomato plant began to thrive.

The stems turned green, flowers began to bloom, and fruit began to grow. I was thrilled. I continued to take care of it, and more fruit emerged, along with a new stem forming at the bottom of the plant itself.
I brought it inside because of the cooler temperatures, and our little tomato plant is benefitting from the warmer temps inside.

I came to a realization while nurturing our little plant. It's always possible to encourage your own growth. Even when life has thrown the hardest stones at you, you have the power within you to overcome, grow and thrive.
Like this plant, neglect and little water kept it from growing and producing fruit. But a little water and some TLC brought it back to life.

I am facing numerous challenges in my world and have felt like there is no end in sight.
There are days when I want to just stay in bed all day watching The Real Housewives of every city than face my reality.
But I force myself to get up because of my children, and honestly, I don't want to give up. Deep in my soul, I know that this season I am in is temporary, and the second half of my life will be my best yet.

Continuing to fuel my brain and body, taking on new challenges, and adjusting to a new normal is the water I need to thrive at this moment.

I know there are people out there in similar situations who may feel that they will never grow and blossom again. But I am here to tell you that you will just like my tomato plant.

Believe in your worth, believe that you are important enough to be watered and taken care of, and take the first little step to do something that fuels your growth.

It does not have to be momentous. It can be as simple as reading that book you want to read or taking yourself out for a coffee date.

You deserve to grow and blossom just like my tomato plant.

And when you think no one in this world believes in you, know this, I believe in You.