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It’s springtime in Austin again. It seems like a cliche but one of the most joyous parts of spring is watching the emergence ofplants and flowers from the dry brown dirt. I particularly like seeing the transformation of a particularly unimpressive plot of land adjacent to the stop light at 45th st and Mopac. In February, it looks as if nothing would grow there, except for maybe a discarded beer can and an old hub cap. easily overlooked, I sometimes gaze right past it while I am stopped at the light.
But a part of my current zen is to de-digitize small slices of my day, just to see what might happen if I don’t look at my phone every waking minute. So, my stops at the light can be part of that. I stare out the window at what at first seems barren, but is in fact starting to explode with various shapes and shades of green chutes. I have no idea what this stuff is but surmise that things really do grow there.
As the long days of winter get shorter and notes of spring emerge, the site gets more wild - lots of new plants, some with tiny flower buds. Many will reveal themselves as bluebonnets, Indian paint brushes, and all kinds of other wildflowers we all love, and will give us joy in the weeks to come. Most of us never ask, “where do all these flowers come from”? I assumed that they are wild, naturally occurring plants. Depending on the location and conditions, this could be true. But if the plot is by the side of a highway, like the one I have been staring at off Mopac and 45th St.,, it’s likely to have been seeded by the highway department.
Have you ever noticed that bluebonnets, just seem to pop up out of nowhere? One day, nothing, the next day, individual pops of purple, and finally, the pops become an ocean of color, so spectacular that we cannot help but drag our family members, dogs, friends, maybe even innocent bystanders out there to take a picture. It will be enjoyed each time, even though we have done it all before.
Seeds. They are very efficient. Nature's power bombs of life. They can be collected, stored and spread in a regular yearly cadence with a promise of that family bluebonnet picture, a nourishing crop, or even a mighty oak tree. Yes, oak trees do grow from their own seeds, acorns. Its not easy, but the results are magnificent.
Like that oak tree acorn, bluebonnet seeds, and practically all ofthe other wildflowers we see and cherish, they require a lot more nurturing and cultivation than one may realize. The sites must be selected for their natural characteristics such as soil, sun, wind ,moisture. There is maintenance and attention. Sometimes it requires remediation. In a few places, things just grow naturally, miraculously. My point is, growing from seed is not about just sewing them randomly, hoping that they will flourish or letting the birds eat them, or calling it a day when nothing grows.
It’s true that once a field gets started and tended for a few years it can grow on its own afterwards with little intervention. But you have to get to that point. It takes work, diligence, regular attention, and maybe even a bit of love.
So it is with our philanthropy here in Austin. For years we have admired beloved fields of philanthropic flowers planted and tended by many generous Austinites. But there are still many plots of philanthropy which have never been seeded, nurtured,maintained,
As Blessed with abundance of generosity as we have been, we have even more fields of generous abundance which can be seeded, nurtured and which could grow even more flowers. What might be the seeds to sew? I contend they are the vision, talents and energy of almost half of Austinites, ages 20-40 our emerging leadership generation- our "next gens". What are the soil for these seeds? Our family and community heritage of generosity and awareness of the needs around us, and the potential for all. The soil of Austin is indeed fertile and ready.
"You reap what you sew". True, but it is also true that "you reap how you sew". We formed GGATX to do the community help with the seeding of a new generation of philanthropists, as well as to assist families to approach their philanthropy in the most meaningful and intergenerational way. This might involve counseling and educating families on how best to work together to magnify the impact of their giving, as well as the reflection of their values, and the harmony of how they give, as a family and as individuals. Sowing new philanthropic seeds can also involve groups of friends who form "giving circles", a strategy of collective philanthropy which allows the participants to choose their philanthropic interest, combine their donations as well as their time and talents with others, to grow another field of flowers around what they most care about. Or it might look like an individual hoping to discover their own field to grow with the seeds of their own vision and unique talents and interests. GGATX can team them with mentors, community leaders who have experienced the joys of watching many springs of wildflowers emerge from all sorts of plots.
With this work, we seek the privilege of reaping what we sew, learning how to best reap, and to understand that we all, individually, as families, and as a community, are what we sew.
Its springtime in Austin- let’s get to work!
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