Leo the Late Bloomer, is just not like the rest. He is far behind. Compared to his friends, there are too many mishaps, two many querky things, and too many little wrongs.

At least Leo tries. At least he seems happy go lucky. At least he had his own way of managing. “Good things come to those who wait.” seems to be written all over Leo’s face.

Delayed, quirky, not like the rest Gold is just not like other children. She’s caused many a stare. She’s “out of the box”. She’s worked harder than many.

At least our Goldi has a zeal for life. At least she copes in some ways. At least she will laugh and smile. ” Good things come to those who wait” was written all over her face.

Smelly, prickly pod, fuzzy stemmed moonflower. It is just not like any other flowers. It can be evasive. You can’t exactly put it in your flower vase. It doesn’t come around until late July or August. It doesn’t even bloom until dusk or after.

At least it grows when other flowers don’t. At least It comes around every year without having to replant. At least it give you something to look at in the night hours. “Good things come to those who wait” is written all over it’s face.

There’s always a question of when the blooming will happen. 
Leo’s parents tried to act normal and just go on with life. But it was hard to be patient. It’s hard not to give up on the moonflower when it looks ready to open up. It gets dark, it gets cooler, and goodness the fireflies are already out why not the moonflower??? It’s hard to hear Goldi speaking in tongues when kids around you are speaking like they are 29. It’s hard to have a “Bread and Jam for Frances” at every meal when other youngsters are eating a menue of food. ( you have to read the story) When will the blooming come?

Goldi has ridden on two wheels for a whole summer now. She’s said “hello” to scary tall men or men with glasses and beards! She’s ridden the bus to and from school. The moonflower bloomed not once, but more than twenty times in one summer. I’ve seen it! Leo wrote his name beautifully almost like a piece of art. All blooming beyond expectation. At that moment of trumpets sounding, balloons flying, applause, and Hallelujah sun beaming sky victory.

The days of waiting for the blooming are long, hard, and sometimes unbearable. Leo’s parents maybe said “Aren’t you ever going to…..” Sometimes I feel like little the seedling of a moonflower is way too small and weak to grow the moon. With Goldi, there are days when she is overwhelmed, screaming, and moaning. There are days when she digs her heels into the ground and won’t make any budge towards any kind of progress. There are days when there are stares and whispers from the cold cruel world.

But the moonflower takes all summer to form a blossom. It takes awhile for it to grow into a fuzzy stalk. It takes until dusk for it to open and glow. It takes a good long hour stare at the bloom before it opens up. If you don’t have patience for the wait, you could miss the bloom entirely. And it is something not to be missed.

It took some hope to keep Leo developing. It took patience to watch and wait. It took acceptance of who he was to help him grow. It took love and care to have Leo bloom beyond expectation.

It took therapy to get Goldi talking well. It took experts to show the way to success. It takes simply the gift of time for success to really come.

Perhaps the moonflower, Leo and Goldi are one in the same.  Their blooming was and still is worth the wait. To  hear Leo say ” I did it” announced pride and confidence . It was almost as if he bloomed beyond expectation.  The moonflower ‘s blooming is so amazing…. you will blink and blink and be caught up in wonder. It’s bloom is beyond your expectation. When Goldi rode on two wheels , I stood amazed. When Goldi ate a whole apple. I was elated. When Goldi rode the bus to and from school with excitement for the first time, I was shocked. She had bloomed beyond expectation.

Leo, the Moonflower, and Goldi are all late bloomers. Blooming late, not never, and ……glorious!