Guest post from a beautiful soul who makes the world a better place <3

I got to visit this ray of sunshine who took her family, her warm smile, ever cheerful personality and sweet self back to Colorado a number of years ago. Our loss, their gain.

Staci oozes joy and talent as she leads paint classes and plants flowers around homes and businesses all over the Colorado Springs area and to infinity and beyond. I am going to share some links where you can find her businesses at the bottom, but I wanted to share with you a post she wrote for Facebook this week on her personal page.

As I read it, I increased in my admiration for her as well as realized how this speaks to so many of us. She shared photos of both the fruit of her labor and her “dirty, strong hands” as she called them.

Beauty is truly far more than skin deep and this lady and her words are beautiful.

Here is what she wrote:

I spend the majority of my summers digging in the dirt planting hundreds & hundreds (probably thousands) of flowers for people. 

I don’t usually wear gloves because I like to “feel” what I’m planting therefore, I haven’t had beautiful long finger nails for a really long time. I have been asked, “Do you really like all the work of planting stuff?” 

My answer is, “Yes, I love it!” 

Yes, sometimes it’s hard and exhausting.

 I don’t always like being sweaty and so dirty. 

My body does ache sometimes- mostly because I think I can do what I used to do in my 30’s. Even with a knee replacement, I didn’t for one second think about not doing what I do.

Yesterday I was buying a bunch of plants and bulbs and I was getting comments like- 

“Oh that’s a lot of work!” 

“Who’s going to plant all that?”

 I also had a lady tell me that the thought of planting all that I had made her tired just looking at them. Ha! She about fell over when I told her I was going to plant them all. She then said, “What a blessing to have such strong hands!” 

What a thoughtful compliment!

I love the instant joy planting beautiful flowers brings to people and the anticipation and excitement that bulbs bring after a sleepy winter. 

I spent the day planting 52 perennials and 250 bulbs and at the end of the day my hands were filthy and I felt a little tired, but I was so grateful for my very dirty, hard working, strong hands and can’t wait to see all the explosive color next spring! 

Staci Hearrell-Burtschi

As I read her words I thought of how doing the things we love often means a sacrifice.

I think of the carpal tunnel pain in our violinist daughter’s hand, the dry nose and irritated facial tissue of our nurse practitioner daughter.

I think of the varicose veins and tummy pouch of mom’s whose bodies carried at least one baby to term.

I think of the trips to the chiropractor for my husband after years of sitting at a desk trouble shooting for the supply chain at a grain company, or the ladies who knit and crochet blankets and caps for babies who I see stretching out their hands to release the pain every now and again.

We can view the wear and tear on our bodies as we do the things we are called to do with a variety of attitudes, but I love how Staci reminds us to see those scars or the dirt or the blisters with gratitude that God equipped us to do what we love to do.

Work is a gift from God and not all work means you get a paycheck. There is a joy that comes in fulfilling the purposes for which you were placed on earth and the work we do, blesses others.

Thank you Staci for who you are and what you do <3

Staci’s painting parties can be accessed on her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ticklemepinkpainting3

If you are on Facebook and in Colorado Springs vicinity, contact her through her FB page. Or if you just want to laugh and smile and feel young again, meet her for lunch <3