Joanna Gaines of ‘Fixer Upper’ captivates fans with parenting essay on Facebook

A few days ago Joanna Gaines, co-star of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” wrote on her Facebook page about a butterfly bush she planted for her young daughters.

The story of that little bush, and Gaines’ thoughts on what it taught her about being a mother, struck a strong chord among her fans, who have given the essay more than 443,000 likes and “loves” since July 15.

Gaines and her husband, Chip, have lots of fans in Kansas City. They have drawn thousands of enthusiastic fans the last two years to the Greater Kansas City Home Show, though they won’t be back next year, when the “Property Brothers” come to town.

Gaines wrote that she planted an Adonis blue butterfly bush outside her daughters’ window five years ago to attract pretty, fluttery winged creatures for them to watch.

She didn’t tell them about the bush. Then, Gaines forgot about it until one recent morning when she found her daughter, Emmie, sitting by the window “looking excitedly at the bush.”

“Here she is!” Emmie said. “My little hummingbird comes every morning, mom!”

Gaines wrote that she didn’t know her daughter was on the lookout for “her bird” every morning and had never told her to watch out the window for butterflies and hummingbirds around the bush.

“It’s hard not to think this is a lot like parenting,” Gaines wrote. “You sow seeds early on and work hard to be intentional and then over time you move on to new lessons and challenges. Then one day you look up and the seeds you planted in your little children’s hearts are now in full bloom.

“Be encouraged today to keep pressing in and tending to their hearts. It will be worth it.”

Her fans have shared the post nearly 80,000 times, thanking her over and again for sharing “this piece of sweetness with all the horror going on in our country,” as one mother wrote.

Nearly 9,000 comments have been left on the post.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Joanna Gaines of ‘Fixer Upper’ captivates fans with parenting essay on Facebook."