Oblivious Observation

           
                      The late summer warmth coaxed the flowers
                               on her tea cup into full bloom.

                                               
 



The other day I happened to be at the quarry close to our home.I had taken my son and his friends swimming and since they were all able to swim without too much supervision, I took an air mattress and floated in oblivion in the glorious sunshine.
The    rocks at the side of this quarry pose as a spot to jump off of into the water below.
I was watching this from the luxury of my air mattress when my ears picked up the sound of a father in conversation with his daughter. She was contemplating jumping from the edge, but was unsure of herself.Her father was cheering her on, in every possible way.
It was clear he believed in her ability. It was his job to  bolster her confidence  and courage.  Nervously  she'd stand at the edge looking down into the refreshing pool below. Then she would  step back  to let someone else  take there turn. All the while down below her father patiently kept waiting,offering her tips and advice in the most assuring manner.
 My mind had drifted elsewhere, when suddenly I heard her exclaim in an exhilarating voice as she surfaced "that was the scariest thing I've done in my life!!!"
"I know, I know," was her father's enthusiastic  response, "I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!!"


I'm touched and strangely enough, encouraged by this scene.By
the unreserved belief the father had in his daughter, the trust the daughter had in him.But most of all by the power that encouraging words have ,and the result thereof.

                          
                    Encouragement is to hearts,
                                 what sunshine is to flowers.
                    and we sure need a lot of it;
                            in this harsh world of ours.


this is a repost from last summer...I wanted to remind myself about the power of encouraging words....

Practically Perfect Purple

Purple is a colour I avoided for a long time. I am not sure why, exactly, but purple and I had had a rocky relationship. I felt guilty sometimes for not really liking purple.  Almost as guilty as when I admitted to someone once that the hymn How Great Thou Art isn't one of my favourites,( like it is for many people.)

 Purple; I know royalty and regal attire.Somehow that just wasn't enough to change my jaded heart.
I knew it was time to reconcile, and slowly I have been embracing the purple in my world.

                                            new purple sheets for my girls new single beds...

And suddenly this week I had all these visitors showing up. They were purple. They were beautiful!
I knew as I stood and gazed in awe at the profusion of purple in my perennial border, that I had been reformed!
                     

                                               

Purple your persistence has paid off. Please accept my apologies for taking SO long to appreciate you.

 I am sure you know that some things in life can take a really LONG time. But when it happens,when you see the fruition of toil, waiting, hoping, trusting, believing and never giving up.

You see the purpose for the purple in your life ; and you see the beauty.

         to everything there is a season...and a time to every
                               purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1



(oh and I must add I am also appreciating the hymn How Great Thou Art as I 
marvel at the beauty all around us....)


  linking up here... http://mockingbirdhillcottage.com/

After A While Flowers Mean More Than Ever

                   Flowers; they've been on my mind lately.        

 Maybe it's because they are rather scarce this time of year.
Maybe it's because the weather has been crummy, not sure whether to be frigid or balmy.
Maybe it's because when daughter brought that pretty bouquet home from her boyfriend, she  took them to her room to enjoy.

Maybe it's because eventually you learn that life is too short  not to share it with someone and flowers like everything else are so much better shared.

The poem After A While  has  been a perennial, (pun intended) favorite of mine,( I posted it  HERE )
Recently I came across an absolutely ,beautiful  conclusion to this poem.
 May you enjoy these wonderful words...
AFTER "AFTER A WHILE"

After 'after a while'
You want to hold a hand not to chain a soul but
to enjoy its company,
and you want someone's lips to kiss,
not because you are lonely but because you are
happy, and you want to give presents
and you want to make promises.

After 'after a while'
You begin to accept your defeats like an adult,
but like a child, will want someone to listen
and care,
and you want someone who will build roads with
you today so maybe you can pave the way for your
future together.

After 'after a while'
You want someone's sunshine and warmth,
but also accept the rain and the cold,
and you want to give flowers picked from your
own garden.

And when your garden is picture perfect,
you want it to be more than a picture
even if it means having to be imperfect
because you want someone in it to stay and to
live.
Then you'll see that there is
such a thing as love...
and that you were made to live in someone else's garden...
and you'll know that there is more to life than yourself.

AND NOW...
You realize that no matter how tightly you hold,
if you're meant to let go, you can
And then you will understand that love
gives you reasons to understand
even the most complicated situations
And you will grow older believing that just
because you have convictions
doesn't mean you're always right

You will remember lips because of the smiles
that made your day,
the words that touched your soul, not only
because of the sweet kissesAnd as you graciously accept defeat and absorb
the meaning of lessons
learned,
You feel that you are finally being the person
you never thought you'd be

So, armed with courage, strength and confidence,
you will face the world
head on...
With or without an army behind you
Because you know your worth and that alone is an
armor 
 Via.

                                                                 
    more than anything, I must always have flowers.
                       ( Claude Monet)

                                                    
                   A gardener dreams in color, all winter long.....

Acknowledging Beauty

           May  FLOWERS of every hue and colour
                      adorn your path......
                                and may you have TIME  to notice.
                                                      ~LucY~

                                                         

                       

                                                        
                          
                    May they remind you of the beauty;
                            of every soul on earth.

Peony, The Queen of Flowers ?

 If I could plant only ONE  flower; it would have to be the
                          white peony.
To me, it is truly a gem of a flower in its understated elegance.
 

But as I consider a garden full of white peony ,I have to admit I would miss the staid lupin ,or the flamboyant poppy and what about the myriad  of other lovely flowers!

Yes, as much as I love the white peony,I am so thankful

for ALL the flowers, and everything they offer us!

Exclusiveness in a garden

is a mistake as great as it is

in society.

(Alfred Austin)

a repost from a year ago....the peonies have just started blooming....

hope your week has too...

Books or Flowers?

If you had to choose either books or flowers, which would you choose?

That would be a real dilemma for me!!

Both are quite undemanding yet both bring such unexplainable comfort, joy,
 and beauty into our lives.

Aren't you just thrilled that we live in a world where there are  books and flowers???

Flowers lead to books which lead to thinking and not thinking and then more flowers and music.Then many more flowers and many more books.       (Maria Kalman)

   I wanted to do a fun post! I hope it brought a smile,    Now out to enjoy that sunshine!