As the
daffodils fade, the tulips burst open with their vibrant colors. By the time they are pale and tattered by
April winds, irises spread their orchid throats to the bees. Lilies rise to spread their pollen over
daisies and lupines. They drop their
petals as black-eyed Susans follow the sun at its zenith. Step by step my gardens tell their tale of
summer – and of our lives.
As a father has compassion on his
children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we
are formed, He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the
field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no
more. Psalm 103:13-16
After
visiting with our children and grandchildren, I realize that families follow
that same procession of life. As our
generation fades and loses energy, the next generation comes to full bloom
lifting up the next beautiful “bloomers” to replace them in due time.
What a joy
it is to see our not-so-little boys with their own little ones. I rejoice knowing our family memories will
live beyond us through generation after generation. Some will be born with a love of
gardening. Others will bake or cook with
a passion. There will be readers and
writers and painters. My straight hair
will plague some future great, great granddaughter who needs braces on her
teeth!
I was very
close to my Grandma and Pap-pap, so I treasure all my memories of
them. Those memories seem to grow
clearer to me the older I get. Because
of God’s blessing in my life, I’m able to build memories for grandchildren to
treasure long after I am gone. Of
course, I will be gone someday as Moses wrote in the one Psalm attributed to
him:
You sweep men away in the sleep of
death; they are like the new grass of the morning— though in the morning it
springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. Psalm 90:5-6
As I watch
the seasons change my garden, the urgency of my limited life span is brought
home. May we all echo the Psalmist’s
prayer:
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
Love as
always, Elaine (deadheading in the
garden)
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