Dear Unsealers,

In May, I planted garlic. It wasn’t much—just a few cloves from my sister-in-law’s house, buried with hope beneath the soil.

I’d read that garlic sprouts in about two weeks. So, I waited. I watered. I checked that spot every day. Weeks passed, then months, and still—nothing.

My girls, kind but honest, told me to let it go. “It’s not going to grow, Mom.” And maybe they were right. Maybe I was watering empty soil, chasing something that would never bloom. But I couldn’t stop myself. I held on, stubborn as ever, because, what if?

I must have looked foolish, still tending to what looked like failure, month after month. And then, one day, I stopped. Not because I had given up entirely, but because I was tired. I hadn’t watered that spot in weeks, hadn’t checked on it either. I’d quietly moved on, carrying that little ache of disappointment with me.

But life has a funny way of surprising us.

Out of nowhere, a green sprout appeared—small, vibrant, alive. I stared at it, stunned. Against all odds, after all that time, the garlic had grown.

That moment was more than a sprout to me. It was proof that sometimes, things take longer than they “should.” Growth doesn’t always happen when or how we expect it to. Just because something looks still doesn’t mean it isn’t alive beneath the surface.

This year, that garlic taught me about faith—the quiet kind that keeps going when there’s no evidence to keep believing. It taught me about letting go, too. Sometimes we try so hard to force something to happen, but when we step back, we give it space to grow.

So here’s what I’ll remember as the year ends: miracles take time. Don’t stop believing in the things you’ve planted. Don’t stop believing in yourself. Even when the world says it’s hopeless, even when you’re tired of waiting—keep going. Because the moment you least expect it, life will break through, whispering, “See? It was happening all along.”

Forever Growing,