Flowers evoke emotions within ourselves to appreciate the beauty there is and to come. Their colorful energy changes our mood in a warming, positive and hopeful way even when tough times are occurring. 

We all need the hope that flowers embody. Flowers help us remember the unseen potential in ourselves, in those we love, and in the world around us.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

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2020 Week #36

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The Story of The Rainbow

Based on an Indian Legend by Anne Hope – 1978

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite.

GREEN said: “Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

BLUE interrupted: “You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

YELLOW chuckled: “You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun.”

ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet: “I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.”

RED could stand it no longer, he shouted out: “I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood – life’s blood! I bring fire into the blood. I am willing to fight for a cause. I am the color of danger and of bravery. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy.”

PURPLE rose up to his full height: He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, cheifs, and bishops have always chosen me, for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey.”

Finally INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: “Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

And so all the Colors went on boasting and quarreling, each convinced of their own superiority. Soon, their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening! Thunder rolled and boomed! Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The Colors crouched down in fear drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, Rain began to speak: “You foolish Colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the Colors united and joined hands. The Rain continued: “From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.”

And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

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The Rainbow is a sign of HOPE for tomorrow.

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Have a great week!

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2020 Week #35

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2020 Week #34

In the world we live in today, my hope this week, even if it is for just a quick moment, is to share something every day to give you a smile. So the theme for this week?

SMILE!

Why should you try to smile a little bit more?

Need help finding something to smile about?

Here are a few ideas!

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Maybe a few short “SMILE” quotes could be helpful.

Or even some fun short quotes could bring a smile.

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Wishing you a wonderful week with many unexpected reasons to smile and feel hopeful!

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2020 Week #33

~ BE HAPPY ~

~ BE COLORFUL ~

~ BREATHE DEEPLY ~

~ BE A REFLECTION ~

~ STAND TALL ~

~ FIND THE BEAUTY ~

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Pulling it all together – a quote from Violet Shipman’s (one of my favorite authors)

newest book, The Heirloom Garden.

The Heirloom Garden – a book about “two women, separated by a generation but equally scarred by war, who find hope, meaning and friendship through a garden of flowers”.

(I loved Viola Shipman’s books, The Charm Bracelet and The Summer Cottage!)

I have not read The Heirloom Garden yet, but will be ordering it soon. A book about HOPE, meaning and friendship through a GARDEN OF FLOWERS – WOW!

Happy August! Wishing you a wonderful week!

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2020 Week #32

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“LOVE is the flower you’ve got to let grow.”

(John Lennon)

~ while a ~

“A soul without KINDNESS is like a garden without plants and flowers.”

(Debasish Mridha)

~ but most importantly ~

“Where flowers bloom, so does HOPE.“

(Lady Bird Johnson)

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Wishing you a wonderful week – filled with blossoms of Love, Kindness and HOPE!

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2020 Week #30

I had a thought to recreate Elna Rae’s quote substituting a synonym for each word.  The difficulty I found was finding a good word to replace “where”.  The best I could come up was “the point”. 

What I conjured up were the following:

• The point that ambition builds, amazements bloom.
• The point that anticipation increases, surprises grow.
• The point that aspiration develops, wonderful things grow.
• The point that belief builds, blessings bloom.
• The point that faith builds, blessings flourish.
• The point that optimism builds, amazements bloom.

I think my favorite from “the point” group is:

I don’t really like substituting “the point” though. It sounds a bit awkward to me.

For some unknown reason, the Five Ws – who, what, when, where, and why – came to mind.  My thought then was to replace the “where” with “when”.  

My new rewrites were:

• When ambition builds, amazements bloom.
• When anticipation increases, surprises grow.
• When aspiration develops, wonderful things grow.
• When belief builds, blessings bloom.
• When faith builds, blessings flourish.
• When optimism builds, amazements bloom.

Out of the “when” group my favorite, similar to as above, is:

I think though that “HOPE” remains the most powerful key word for any of these sentences.  

When your hope continues to build, your blessings will bloom.

Hold on to your HOPE – your ambition / anticipation / aspiration / belief / faith / optimism. Hold on to it and see your blessings bloom!

Have a great week!

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2020 Week #29

Will is the root, knowledge is the stem and leaves, and feeling is the flower.

Sterling

Such an interesting analogy – will, knowledge and feelings – likened to roots, stems/leaves and flowers.

Roots are the initial starting point of a plant. They provide a plant with stability. Roots are the plant’s anchor.

Will is a fixed and persistent intent. It is the power of choosing one’s own actions. Will is determination.

Similar to a root, will is our initial starting point. Will is our anchor, providing us with a strong and fixed purpose. As with a plant’s roots, will gives us the ability to survive and thrive.

Stems provide the plant with strength and support. They raise the plant’s flowers and leaves to bring them closer to the sun where they can capture the sun’s energy.

Knowledge is our familiarity, awareness and understanding of facts, truths and principles that we have gained through learning and experience.

Knowledge, like a stem, provides us with a definite framework and structure. Knowledge and stems provide us with needed support.

Flowers are attractive, bright, colorful, beautiful, showy, and fragrant.

Feelings are experienced emotions, such as joy or sorrow.

As flowers attract the birds and bees, they invoke our feelings through their beauty and fragrance.

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Will is our anchor, knowledge is our support, feeling is our ability to feel emotion through beauty.

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Wishing you a great week!

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2020 Week #28

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No matter our color, our shape, or our size we are all beautiful!

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You are beautiful for the way you think, for the way you sparkle, for the way you make others smile. YOU are beautiful!

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You are you and I am I. We are all unique in our beauty!

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We are beautiful in our differences!

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YOU are a masterpiece wonderfully made, full of love, beauty and purpose!

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Never let anyone tell you anything different.

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YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

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Wishing you a beautifully wonderful week!

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2020 Week #27

Our five senses – sight, smell, sound, taste, touch.

In researching flowers that would invoke all five senses, I discovered one such plant that fits the criteria – LAVENDER.  

Lavender has many benefits.  

• It acts as a bug repellant. 
• It helps with insomnia.  
• It soothes the nervous system.
• It aids in skin conditions.
• It protects the immune system.
• It promotes circulation. 
• It aids digestion.
• It is used for pain relief.
• It aids diabetes treatment.
• It promotes healthy hair.

There are many reasons to grow lavender.

• Sight – It is a beautiful perennial shrub.  It is easy to grow.  It is just a beautiful plant to look at.  
• Smell – It has lovely scented foliage and flowers.  Its scent is calming and relaxing.  It can be used in bath and body products.  
• Sound – Bees love it (and it also attracts butterflies).  
• Taste – It is delicious in sweet and savory foods.  It can be infused in honey and sugar.  It can be made into jams and jellies.  It can be added to tea and lemonade.  It can be made into syrup.  
• Touch – Is soft to the touch.  It is great to use in craft products.  

Lavender is often used in sensory gardens that stimulate the five senses.  Lavender is also used in memory support gardens as residents can usually identify the plant and its aromatic scent. 

My favorite quality of lavender is its ability to have positive effects on mood, stress anxiety, and depression.  Its calming and soothing aroma can relax the nerves and provide relief from emotional stress.  Lavender can provide a much-needed pick me up.  

I have never grown lavender.  After reading about its benefits I decided maybe I should give it a try.  So I went out and bought four plants this past week!

I hear lavender is deer and rabbit resistant (I’m hoping that is true as the rabbits have eaten my hostas). 

 I’ll let you know how my lavender garden grows! 

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2020 Week #26