I am Treasured Psalm 83:3

 "They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones." NKJV
  "They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones." JCB

  I was a bit confused this morning about whether or not this was the right verse for the affirmation because the two translations appear to be worlds apart. But they aren't.

  Winter conspired against the garden. A dry autumn followed by bitter cold. A warm stretch that fooled the plants into thinking it was time to wake up (even though it was only February) followed by more bitter cold. Then there was an ice storm. Oh, and the flood.
  It impacted some of the established plants in my garden. A dwarf Alberta spruce lost most of its needles. A couple of cedars were winter burned as they call it. Mature lavender died back to less than a quarter of its size. A five foot tall Rose of Sharon had to be cut back to a one foot shrub. The grafted tree I planted to hide the hydro meter is a lost cause. Only one branch has any growth at all and it's struggling.
  I spoke to a woman at the nearby nursery about how to save what I can. The spruce might come back after giving it a dose of fertilizer and generous watering, keeping the roots moist. I also threw a hunk of rusty metal chain around the base because something in the metal is good for evergreens.
  Cutting away the dead branches on the cedars will make space for new growth to eventually fill in the gaps. They aren't going to be pretty for a couple of years. Maybe longer. There was a lot to cut away.
  Gardening is the essence of patience. And hope, too!
  On the plus side, I had meant to find some milkweed seeds to plant in the garden last fall. They are crucial to the Monarch butterfly's life cycle. No milkweed means no butterflies. As farming goes industrial, pasture fields are getting ploughed under for crop production. Open meadows are where milkweed grows naturally. The lack of meadowlands is also impacting bee and bird populations.
  The Lord provided. There's a half dozen Milkweed plants growing in one of my flower beds. It's a start and when their seed pods split open in September, I'll be able to grow more next year.

  I think of the individualized care every plant in my garden requires. Some thrive after being pruned back. In fact, it's necessary for them to achieve optimum growth. Other's need some tender care to get through hard seasons.
 
  How much more does God care for His treasured creations?

  That's you.