Thursday, February 17, 2011

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

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos! The amaryllis featured in my post today is faded already; I snapped the pictures when it was at its peak. It is still cold and brown here in Indiana, but I am doing my best to slow down and consider the flowers as they make their brief and glorious appearance on this earth...there is much to admire, and much to learn.

    Thank you for linking to my slow-down fast. I hope to learn from you as I walk with the Lord.

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  2. Thank you for the reminder to literally slow down and smell the roses! I love the beautiful colors in your photos. I am a terrible brown thumb myself, and most of the flowers I try to plant don't live. This is one reason I take joy in the beauty of wildflowers... here in Texas it is the bluebonnets and Indian paint brush that come back every year.

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