Pet Peeve and Big Trouble

Do you have a pet peeve, (something you strongly dislike) ?

Mine is artificial flowers.

My aversion to fake blooms once got me into big trouble and taught me a valuable lesson.

When we moved to the village we found that the local cemetery had not been carefully maintained. This seemed to be disrespectful to the faithful departed.

My husband and I approached the government, who graciously provided a $69,000 grant to beautify this sacred and historic space.

Eight part-time workers were hired, who planted grass, and flowers, and placed a beautiful granite bench.

We were hoping that people might come in, to rest for a while, and contemplate eternity.

We welcomed fresh flowers and plants at the sites, and I offered to plant little gardens at sites if family members would like these.

The workers complained that the bunches of artificial flowers placed on gravesites made mowing the sites more difficult. On windy days, they blew all around, and sometimes wires got caught in mowing equipment.

And so I suggested that they remove the counterfeit blooms and place them in the storage shed. We informed the community to pick them up if they wanted them.

The community was furious with us !!

They felt that we were outsiders, who had come in, and were telling them how to do things ! After this cultural blunder, we gave up our volunteer positions, and the fake flowers quickly re-appeared.

It is pride that makes us think that our opinions are best.

Indeed, our pet peeve might be someone else’s great joy.

Our pride can cause us to place our wishes above those of others, and relationships can suffer as a result.

May God, in his mercy, show us when our attitudes are prideful.

May He allow us to live in harmony with others.