...only the oleanders thrived...

It stood there amidst the business of that Varanasi street. Small and proud it stood...no taller than a man's outstretched hand. It seemed no one noticed it. I may have even missed its quiet beauty had Margreet not said, "Oh look how cute that tree is!"

We were in a hurry. It was almost dinnertime and we still had to find the shop to buy material in. But as we walked I looked at that one lone tree...an oleander she said. I had never seen an oleander tree before and I thought it was just lovely. Of course on this street it was the only speck of green life you could see.
Both sides of the road were lined with shops and people milled around everywhere. As usual, car horns honked, men shouted, goats played, and cows lowed. It was a typically hot and dusty day and after a long day out, we were each tired and ready to go home.

I suppose this setting is the reason that sweet little tree surprised me. It was as though it had grown from nothing. The concrete and dirt surrounded it and I doubt it had a caretaker. It was ignored in the middle of a mess, yet it grew perfectly there. Perhaps that tree was God's gift to that area of India. Just like a rainbow after the storm, that small and beautiful plant was like the promise of life to that dry and crazy street.