Today is a good day. Nothing on my agenda but porch pondering and bird watching. I love to lay my head down at night knowing tomorrow has nothing scheduled for my day. I am never more content and happy than when I can while away the day on the porch swing. Sat outside and enjoyed watching the cardinals and purple finches this morning. I dragged one of the heavier bird baths more into the shade after I washed it out. The water was almost hot, to warm for the birds. They all enjoyed a drink of the clean cool water and the fat wood thrush splashed around and dunked his head, taking a long bird bath. He was getting gussied up for his Friday night shenanigans. As he splashed around and fanned his wings I could hear him singing, “Rub a dub dub, three men in a tub…”

Mother Nature has pushed her thermostat to the breaking point today. It’s 4 PM, 92 degrees but the real feel temperature is 109 degrees and trust me, it feels 109! Penelope and I took a walk and the sidewalk was scorching on my bare feet, finally had to walk on the edge of the grass to keep from burning my feet. Penelope was smart enough to keep herself on the grass bordering the sidewalk. Wasn’t brave enough to step in the street for the mail, came back to get my shoes. I bet the street could fry an egg today.

I think I might like to be a zinnia in a small flower bed surrounded by bird feeders and butterflies. The zinnias are gloriously blooming this afternoon, worshipping the hot blazing sun, standing tall in thanks to God for the beautiful blue sky day. Gonna cut me a bouquet tomorrow early morning when its cool. Mother Nature uses some of her sunset watercolors, painting the zinnias blooms vivid pink, vibrant orange, bright yellow, and rainbow purple, colors that contrast so wondrously with the summer butterflies’ wings. Nothing bothers the zinnias. They are stoic and strong, tolerating the heat, the lack of rain, not worrying about what kind of soil their roots hold them in. They hate water from the hose pipe on their leaves but love a good root drenching.

Zinnias
Zinnias, stout and stiff,
Stand no nonsense: their colors
Stare, their leaves
Grow straight out, their petals
Jut like clipped cardboard,
Round, in neat flat rings.
Even cut and bunched
Arranged to please us
In the house, in the water, they
Will hardly wilt–I know
Someone like zinnias: I wish
I were like zinnias.

by Valerie Worth

I think we can all learn a good lesson from the zinnias. They stand tall and don’t complain. They represent goodness and remembrance. Just as we turn to God for strength, they turn to Mother Nature for sun and water and nutrients. No matter what kind of soil their seeds grow in they have the determination to put down roots and stand tall. We can root our lives in God and he’ll travel faithfully with us as we go through life. We nourish our Christian roots through Bible study, worship, and prayer.

Sometimes we complain and give up, even when we are blessed with all the things necessary to thrive and be happy. The zinnias warm up each day in the glorious sunrise. Some days they might enjoy a beautiful butterfly kissing their blooms, tap dancing and tickling their petals with their tiny thin black legs. Other days days the fire ants might try to take hold of them but they don’t worry about tomorrow. They put all their energy into their beautiful blooms, proudly showing off their blossoms through summer heat and thunderstorms, having faith that nature will provide everything they need. Nathaniel Hawthorne called zinnias, “A flower of strange beauty, growing in a desolate spot, and blossoming in the wind.”

We live every day with a chance to bloom and shine, to share the colors of our lives with each other. No matter where we’re planted, no matter what season of life we’re experiencing, through faith and prayers, like the beautiful zinnia, we can bloom through our faith in God. We can always turn to God for strength. He anchors our roots.

We can breathe deeply because God is in control. Each day is a new beginning, a new chance to put down roots and bloom with life. We don’t need to worry about tomorrow. We need to let go of yesterday. We need to put all our energy into living a prayerful life, understanding that the Lord will provide what ever we need to grow and thrive and bloom as Christians. As Bryant McGill says, “Open the bloom of your heart and become a gift of beauty to the world.”

“Flowers are the music of the ground from earth’s lips spoken without sound.” — Edwin Curran