Flowers, always
Jeff brought me these roses in January 2016, his last winter.
“I must have flowers, always, and always.”―
I was looking through my archives of January photos, and found this one from the first month of 2016. Jeff had brought me a dozen white roses for no particular reason, except that he knew I loved flowers, and I think he loved them nearly as much as I did. During the past dozen or so years, he had taken to bringing me fresh flowers on impulse when he saw a bouquet he liked. Thanks to photos the joy he gave me with those flowers lives on and warms my heart even now.
Flowers are such an important part of life, especially during the winter when we mostly dream of their return. We might tend to think of flowers as a luxury, but I think Monet was right in seeing them as indispensable. What a blessing it is for us today, that Monet loved flowers so. He left us dazzling beauty that will never fade, in his countless paintings of flowers in every form and setting. Here is just a sample of what you can see if you do a quick online image search under his name:
If you need an instant pick-me-up, try enjoying some flowers today. You need not purchase a bouquet for your home if you want to enjoy nature’s best mood therapy, although money spent on flowers is well invested. For virtually no expense at all, you can stroll through the fresh flower displays at a local grocery or garden center, or if you’d rather stay warm and cozy indoors, check out a nearby gallery or library, or just search online at the world’s most famous museums. Imagine how the artists of past centuries would envy our ability to view great works so easily!
Flowers feed the soul, as the poet has said. May they bring joy to your heart today, and always, and always.
This post was first published seven years ago today. The blog is not designed for viewing on cell phones, but you can get a less distorted version of the photos if you click on the “view on blog” link at the top right of the screen. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, at the individual post views. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
Defeat Despair 
Good morning, Julia!
Mom is moving to a smaller apartment in assisted living this week. My sister and her family will be there to help her with the move.
For my part, I’ll send fresh flowers on moving day, as the flowers that I sent on Dad’s birthday are about due for replacement.
Susan, I appreciate your staying in close touch with your mother during this time of transition. So many older people are mostly disregarded nowadays. I know it means a lot to your mother to know that you care.
Mom’s had a good January, with my sister and her family in town for a week, and then 5 days with her brother and his wife.
I’ll need to head there in February or early March.
It’s good that she still has many family members still alive. I’ve learned that’s a blessing not all of us have in old age– even “early” old age, as I think of myself!