May 11th, 2020: Flowers...
Giving flowers has been a gesture to express love, appreciation, comfort, and affirmation. Most mothers got some yesterday and most of the time they don't have to be elaborate to be appreciated. Sometimes I wonder why some people prefer flowers instead of chocolate?
Flowers don't just tell they show. At this time of the year where I am, they show that spring is coming and the cold winter days will soon be gone. They show life after 6 months of being frozen in the ground. They show the beauty of colours that make our eyes alive.
Flowers are singing the music of the ground as some may say. It is the music to tell the world that there is still a lot of life left and they are ready to reveal that to anyone who desires to see. They tell us that the soil structure is good, fertile and capable of breathing life into these delicate and yet durable features of God's creation.
Flowers are the manifestation of love and care of gardeners. They tend their garden with commitments. They water and fertilize. Beautiful flowers are actually an example of endurance and hard work. As my brother in law, who is a dentist, says this about the flower bed in front of his clinic: "I feel welcome and energized when I walk by the garden before entering the office.
Stephen Richards once said this about flowers: "Minds are like flowers; they open only when the time is right.”
It is not a bad idea to compare the beauty of our mind to flowers. A mind will open and speak about the beauty of the world and the depth of its own essence when it is fitting. When we open our minds and our hearts, we are receptive to God's power as the flowers receive the power that comes from sunlight.
However, the truth remains. All flowers have their seasons. There is time to shine and there is time to wither. It is like our mortal life. How would we like to shine before withering? Are we alive and willing to contribute to the beauty of the world? Are we open to opportunities when we are challenged by life circumstances? Is our presence a welcome sign in the lives of others?
Job 14:1-2 “Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.”
