Consider the Camellias

 Dear friends,

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;

they toil not, neither do they spin:

And yet I say unto you,

that even Solomon in all his glory

was not arrayed like one of these."

Matthew 6:28b-29

I'm trying to train myself

to be aware of my surroundings,

especially all of the little beautiful things

that I tend to forget

in the daily chaos of motherhood.

Camellias only bloom for several weeks each year,

but since our bush is out of sight in the back yard,

I sometimes miss much of the blooming season,

just because I have forgotten to look.

 

So many of the blossoms end up

fallen, unappreciated, wasted...

But when I do remember,

I can bring the beauty inside for all to enjoy,

floating in water in my wedding crystal.

The camellias now share the table with Valentine roses,

which help me rejoice

in my husband's affection

every time I walk through the room.

I made a goal this afternoon

to walk around our yard and pay attention to the flowers.

Some, like this magnolia (from a year gone by)

won't bloom for a while yet. 

I must take notice, look out and up,

or I will miss this beauty too.

This crepe myrtle left behind

brittle brown buds from last season,

a promise of fresh blooms to come.

This year I decided to plant my flowers in pots

given to me by one who cannot tend

her own garden anymore.

Now I can bring them inside during a cold spell.

They are also up closer to eye level,

and protected from the pests and weeds on the ground.

And I can move them from place to place,

wherever their grace is needed at the moment.

These geraniums grace the garden wall.

Pansies are my lifetime favorite flowers

with cheerful little faces.

In Florida, they thrive in cold weather,

but I never remember to buy some

until well into the growing season.

Mine are in matching pots,

each side of the front walkway.

My hardy little azalea bush delivers year after year.

My husband planted star jasmine bushes many years ago,

hedges of privacy and loveliness and sweet aroma.

My daughter Melody,

a beautiful little blossom on Blossom Lane,

or as her shirt proclaims, a Busy Bee.

Who made these flowers and our sweet children?

This beauty?

The Gracious God who created them, he is beauty.

Take time to see and savor him!

"One thing I ask from the LORD,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD

and to seek him in his temple."

Psalm 27:4

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

http://www.comewearymoms.blogspot.com/