Things are blooming over here...
Growing up in this house we didn't have as many flower beds...
{I do remember having to weed the few we had
and I'm sure I complained the whole time}
But, maybe it was when my sister and I left to start our own families
that mom decided she needed a project
grass became mulch
and
a few plants became many.
And as a result,
last week I cut bunches of these
and this week,
bunches of these
I wish you could see how HUGE some of these peony blooms are
they don't have much of a scent
but I do enjoy seeing them scattered all over the house.
"God loved the flowers and invented soil. Man loved the flowers and invented vases."
Jacques Deval
It appears as though next week these will be gracing the house...
"I'd rather have roses on my table
than diamonds on my neck."
Emma Goldman
They're really beautiful..and I can take no credit whatsoever for them.
I often say that all the good stuff you see around here was inherited.
{Thanks, mom!}
It strikes me how like our own lives these flowers are.
Beautiful
and
Fragile
and
short-lived
Even the most prolific gardener cannot create a crop that holds life and blooms on forever.
Though they are appreciated and enjoyed,
all blooms fade and die eventually.
On Wednesday I attended my FOURTH funeral in the last four months.
Two of them in one week.
All four were great women of faith who left quite a legacy for their families and friends.
I've had enough death for the year.
I'd like it very much if I didn't attend another funeral ever..
or at least for a long time.
But, there is something about sitting at a funeral that makes you put life into perspective.
It is so short, so unexpected.
And we waste so much time thinking that this is all there is.
But what if it's not...
what if we labor hard
and stress out much
what if we spend our life seeking the next
treasure
or
pleasure
and, in an instant we are suddenly gone
and all that we poured our energy into
stays behind.
What then?
What if the world expends energy on trying to disprove the existence of
God
and
Heaven
and succeeds in taking all mention of them out of our lives...
and it is wrong - all of it just a trick to get our minds off of what is True.
What then?
Will we regret the things we gave our
time
attention
money
worship
praise
hearts
and wish we had listened to the Voice of Truth instead?
Sadly, it'll be too late to change our minds
we will have already chosen our path.
I've already made my choice
and I'm quite confident it is the Right One.
But so many around me have not...
and how I live my life from birth to death may affect the way they see the Right One.
The end comes for all of us
sometimes we have the blessing of planning it all out
and sometimes we don't.
But, the one thing we all have in common
is that it WILL come.
So how will we spend our days of waiting?
What will we do with our remaining time?
