Opened the door this morning to take Penelope for her morning walk and Kit Kat had left me a prize on the front porch, a big fat dead rat. Kat was so proud of saving us from the rat, she pranced around it meowing. Penelope just ignored her and the rat. Guess that was what Penelope was after yesterday. I put Penelope in the playpen after our walk and she was content. I think she’s mad because Kat got the rat before she did.

Father Sky sketched another beautiful sky today, light blue summer heavens full of big white clouds. Far off in the distance I can see light purple and dark gray rain clouds gathering. Hope their silver raindrops water my yard and flower bed. The sunflowers are on their last leg and the zinnias aren’t far behind. The winds from a previous storm batted the sunflowers down and they pushed the zinnias down with them. I propped one row of zinnias up with tomato cages and they seem to be doing better.

I haven’t been cutting my flowers for the house because I’ve enjoyed the bees and butterflies dancing on the blooms. Tiny bees are all over the sunflower blooms. Been researching bees this afternoon and my research says they are sweat bees but I’m not really sure. I don’t think of sweat bees as pollinators. Well, just read sweat bees are good pollinators for wildflowers and sunflowers. So they came to the right home.

The Bible is full of verses with flower imagery. I think first of the lilies of the valley which represent feelings of joy and happiness, purity and innocence. Jesus referred to himself as the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley in the Song of Solomon. The little delicate bell flowers, fragrant as perfume, burst forth from the earth after winter’s darkness, reminding us of the hopefulness of our faith when the days are dark. I read this afternoon the tear-drop shaped blossoms of the lily of the valley first bloomed where Eve’s tears fell on the ground as she left the Garden of Eden. The little flowers also represent the tears Mary cried at Jesus’s crucifixion.

We are all flowers growing in God’ garden, bringing joy and hope to a world in need. Guess we all bloom differently and at different times but we all have gifts that we can use to enhance God’s earthly garden. Some of us bloom in rich colors and our faith radiates from us through our words and actions. Others bloom quietly and deeply in the earth bringing peace and love and words of encouragement to broken hearts.

Found this poem by John Osborne and the poem says what I’m trying to convey in the most simplistic way.

Flowers in God’s Garden —

We all are flowers in God’s Garden
Each bearing a differing bloom,
We are only here for a season
And autumn oft cometh too soon.

Each of us has the potential
To be the loveliest of flowers,
To add charm and grace to the Garden
The choice quite simply is ours.

We may bring some joy to a life that is sad
Just through a word that is spoken
We may bring some peace to a troubled mind
Or hope to a heart that is broken.

For every flower has something to give
Or it maybe just something to share,
it may not be much, but may mean a great deal
To someone, sometime, somewhere.

Yes, we all have gifts to use as we will
And we never should miss any chance,
To freely give of the gifts we possess
And with love, God’s Garden enhance.

For much may stem from the life that we live
Which now we’re not able to see,
But the good seeds we sow, are the flowers that will grow
And bloom in Eternity. — John Osborne

Let’s all bloom and sow seeds of kindness and compassion on the world. We all have gifts from God and we need to share them in our earthly gardens, planting the seeds of God’s love and grace as we travel through life.

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” — Alfred Austin