Flowers

Friendships with Commas

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A long-time friend once said to me, “We have a friendship, with commas.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means that, no matter how much time has passed, we pick up our conversation where we left off. There are no “periods” in our friendship timeline.”

This memory floated into my thoughts as I was reaching high above my head to capture a photo of a flowers.

What I love most about flowers is their willingness to bloom, without receiving anything in return. There is no quid pro quo. They bloom because that is what they were meant to do. They arrive in season, without commas, welcoming us to enjoy their moment in the sun.

Georgia O’Keeffe wrote: “Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”

May our time be fill with many commas.

Join me in walking in the St. Albert’s Botanical Garden. You need to take a rain hat, because it is raining!

William should have the last word…

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“O Lord that lends me life,

Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.”

William Shakespeare

Grace for Others

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Remember when you were in grade school and someone else got picked to be teacher’s helper?  Remember when your friend achieved an “A” when you only received a “B+” on the final math test? Remember when you found out someone was making a higher salary?

 

Were you thankful?

 

“It is delightfully easy to thank God for the grace we ourselves have received, but it requires great grace to thank God always for the grace given to others.”  James Smith

Never look back, unless…

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Have you ever said – “I wish we could go back to the good old days.”  Somehow,  we seem to forget that there were problems back then, too!!

“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” 
Henry David Thoreau

Florists – This post is for you!

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There will come a time when the flowers will fall asleep in the snow.  My walks will become more brisk and I will have a warm cloak and scarf to ward off the chill.   The leaves will cushion the walkways even as the earth accepts the coldness.

Florists make our world beautiful all year around.   They help celebrate our births, weddings, anniversaries, Valentine’s days, and deaths.  When we cannot find the words to say, they offer a thought that fills the moment.

A big thank you to those remarkable florists who give us sunshine and warmth all year around.

“Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.”
Luther Burbank, 1849-1926 (American botanist, horticulturist and pioneer in agricultural science.)

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Just Living is Not Enough

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“Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
Hans Christian Andersen