THE RAIN FLOWER

 

Many of the flowers of summer have departed with the cooler autumn looming

but standing proudly in our back yard…one hydrangea is still blooming.

From a large hydrangea shrub…one single bloom stands tall…. 

helping the colors of summer transition to the fall.

There is a Japanese legend which carries 

it’s own unique mystical power…

in this legend the hydrangea…

is known as the rain flower.

In a drought all the rain flowers were about to be lost

filling the countryside with fear…

until the entire collection was saved

by a young man’s single tear.

A tear that fell from his weeping eyes

into the wilted bloom of the flower everyone craved

and miraculously from that one tear…

every rain flower was saved.

I think about that legend…

think of its enchanting and magical power

As I sit on our porch enjoying the color

of this years last rain flower.

I feel lucky seeing the last rain flower of the season

standing tall and proud and blue…

witnessing her farewell performance

before she bids the fall adieu.

And when this final bloom is gone…

I’ll be looking forward to the spring

When…

the clouds send their tears down to where she is sleeping

and wake her up to bloom again.

HELLO TO GOODBYE

 

When looking love and beauty

and how in our life they may apply… 

we need to look no further 

than to every hello and goodbye.

When we witness the wonder of childbirth…

see a new life miraculously grow

we discover in that moment…

all the love and beauty 

there is in a hello.

When that baby joins his parents…

when two people become three

we discover over and over again…

the love and beauty of family.

When our family gathers together…

in that moment… 

and every moment after

we discover the beauty contained in a smile…

and the love there is in laughter. 

When we witness our family’s heartaches 

our hardships, sorrows and fears

we discover all the love and beauty 

embedded in shared tears.

And when we gather around a family member 

who is about to die…

we discover in those moments…

he love…

and the beauty…

of goodbye.

We are but temporary visitors here…

which means we need to try…

to find the love and beauty inherent

in every hello…

and goodbye.

OUR SHOULDERS

 

It’s remarkable the way the creators of our bodies found a way

to build a system of a trillion parts

that work together to keep us alive and well each day.

I was reminded of one of those trillion body parts

While babysitting our great-granddaughter…and I got to hold her.

There was a moment as we walked around 

when she laid her head upon my shoulder.

And I thought how our shoulders have a myriad of functions

as across our torsos they spread.

They are vital as more than a root system… for holding up our head.

To carry our burdens, our hopes and our dreams

and give our children a prominent place to ride

our shoulders must be powerful…

they must be strong and wide…

They must also be resilient and have a good memory  

to remind us when our children are older…

how it felt all those times when they were young

and they rode upon our shoulders.

They must be soft and inviting…

a welcoming place for friends and family to cry on

and when we fall asleep with a baby in our arms

a comfortable place to lie on.

Of the trillions of parts our body has…

that work together to keep us alive and well…

holding our great-granddaughter in my arms I wondered…

of all the stories these old shoulders of mine could tell.

These are some of the thoughts

while babysitting Violet…and I got to hold her

that surfaced in the moment

she laid her head upon my shoulder.

FALL IS N THE AIR

 

Today, after a month in North Carolina…we became aware

to our mutual satisfaction that Fall is in the air.

The mornings have been chilly…and the leaves have begun to fall

as the trees of summer begin to change their colors before their final curtain call.

The leaves do not change colors or fall simultaneously…

I’m sure nature has her reasons… 

for allowing those of us who are watching…

to enjoy…the changing of the seasons.

Ash, Birch, Black Walnut, poplar and maple trees

Are where the first leaves tend to fall from…

They act as natures messengers…reminding us

of the beauty yet to come.

Nature helps these leaves who patiently await her signal in the trees

by allowing them to ride atop and end of summer breeze.

And they happily depart the trees…knowing they've been assigned

to announce that Fall is on her way…with winter close behind.

Yesterday an excited maple leaf jumped out of her tree

and, after floating on the breeze, landed next to me.

As I saw that little maple leaf…happily lying there

I thanked her for reminding me that Fall is in the air…

And thanked nature for taking the time…

to think of me for a moment…however brief

by air mailing my reminder

in the form of a maple leaf

FLOWER CHILDREN

 

 When we look into a garden of flowers…of it’s beauty we’re aware

but we may overlook the beauty of each flower growing there.

Yesterday was a special day…from sunrise to sunset…

when got to experience the beauty of a single rose…and one solitary violet.

It began early at a bakery when a curly haired little girl

showed us she cold stand on her tippy-toes

and Mom and Dad informed us…her name was Millie Rose.

As we walked to our cars together…Millie Rose…just for fun

asked, as children do, if we wanted to watch her run.

It made us smile…this brief encounter with this family we happened to meet

and as they drove away we waved at Millie Rose…who waved from the back seat.

Later in the day…for a couple hours…at a time her parents set… 

we were happy to spend some time with our great-granddaughter…Violet.

She smiled when she saw us…it was a wonderful way to start!

(It’s amazing how a simple smile can melt two people’s hearts?)

In that couple of hours together our whole day was enhanced…

as Nana, PopPop and Violet played and sang and danced…

And as we walked to our car…totally enamored by her charms

we watched Violet wave goodbye to us…while in her mother’s arms.

That evening when we had time to think…we were glad we chose

to visit that bakery after sunrise…and experience the beauty of a rose…

And equally as glad….before that same sun set…

for the first time…we had the chance 

to baby-sit our great-granddaughter…Violet.

And I thought if every child is like a flower

when they emerge from out their mother’s womb….

how every encounter we have with them

helps determine how beautifully they bloom.

A thought that occurred to me…on a day we will never forget…

when, while walking in a garden of children, 

we got to enjoy the beauty of a single rose and one solitary violet.