They Neither Toil Nor Spin!
Marigolds and lobelia.
On a recent Saturday I woke up to a blue sky, soft breeze, and warm sunshine spilling through my bedroom window. I knew then it was the perfect day to do what I’d been putting off for weeks. I grabbed a bite of breakfast and headed to the local nursery. I was going to bring home some lovely flowers for my garden and a new plant for my bedroom.
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Backyard Beauties.
I was amazed at how happy and well I felt after putting my hands in the dirt, plunging the small plants into the soil and then topping them off with some fertilizer and water. They are coming to life as I write this and each morning when I look outside I feel like doing a happy dance!
“The lovely flowers embarrass me,
They make me regret I am not a bee. ”
~Emily Dickinson, 1864
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”
~ Claude Monet
Keeping me company day and night!
How wonderful it is to have flowers and plants as friends and neighbors.
They give so much and take so little.
“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;”(Matthew 6:28)
To God be the glory!
Plants cringe when they see me coming because they know if they go home with me that they will be
in a death spiral !! My sister, who has an fabulous green thumb, wouldn’t even let me go near
her plants even to admire them!!
That’s funny, Carol Sue. My mother felt the same way.
Karen, I can relate completely. We need to nourish our souls with beauty – and do it often.
Thanks, Marie. I so agree.
You always make me smile. Thanks Karen for the lovely reminder to “Smell the Roses. 🙂
You have been a reminder of that for me too, Etta Mae.
My own recent forage in the garden left me filled with joy and immense satisfaction– all from a handful of lovely plants, now nestled in pots and gracing my front porch. Hopefully our “green thumbs” will continue to give us something to smile about as well as bless those we love!
Wonderful to hear, Glenda. Send me photos of your little beauties.
I love this, Karen. I know how much Charles loved the garden and planting, so it’s probably bittersweet for you. Planting reminds you of how much you miss him, but it also can remind you of how much joy and beauty he brought to your life. I am not a gardener, but totally enjoy the garden and have always thought of flowers of little “God smiles.” Thank you for the reminder to always enjoy God’s glory reflected in the flowers. love, Heidi
Thank you, Heidi. I have a plaque in my garden that says, “The Best Place to Find God is in a Garden.” That says it for me!
I feel the closest to the Lord in my garden! This is where He speaks to me the most…. I love how He lets me be a part of His plan. While I can’t paint, and my drawings are sad, I can landscape! I often go out to garden for an hour and find that four have passed! Thanks for sharing this — Emily Dickinson had it right!
Thanks, Patti. Isn’t it fun to know that Emily had the same thoughts we have about the garden long before you and I were born?
Ditto, Ditto, and a Bouquet of Dittos!
Thanks Karen! 🙂
Smiles, BRC
Hugs and smiles to you too, Beth.
Your plants are beautiful! My mother had a “green thumb” and Dad said he took a shovel in the trunk of the car every time they were going out in the country because if Mom saw a pretty ‘wild flower’ on the side of the road she made him stop, dig it up and then when they got home he had to find ‘something to dig up and throw away to find a place to put the weed’! Of course he was just teasing mom and she knew it. He loved the plants and flowers as much as she did and even in his late 80’s he still had a big garden with strawberries, corn, green beans, potato’s etc. >When I married Herb he said my job was to water the plants that were hanging around the swimming pool as he took care of all the plants, etc. in the yard, and I told him I would ‘kill them’ and sure enough when he stopped watering them they died! I love to look at them but never was good at growing them but I sure could make a beautiful bouquet each day with the fresh hibiscus blossoms he brought to me each day from our beautiful yard! HE had a green thumb and our yard was like a garden!
We have two beautiful orchid plants that I see each day beside our pool, one white and one orchid. Just so amazing how they grow so beautiful on such a tiny stem! God sure does give us a lot of beauty and it is “FREE” but thank God for people like you who can help Him take care of His beauty!
Love the pictures! Love you too! Margaret
A lovely story about your parents and their flowers. Such tender memories. Thanks for appreciating what I share. Love you too, Margaret.