Flowers bring life to any setting. Their color, smell and texture add something that lifts our spirits and changes our moods. My back deck is filled with annuals and perennials that bring me joy each spring and summer. I laughed as I told my daughter recently that there is a secret ingredient to healthy flowers. "You have to water them," I said. She attempts to grow a few flowers each year, but doesn't give them enough of the secret ingredient, so they try to survive, instead of thrive.
As I was on my back deck this week, I noticed a bright green sprout tall and erect in the middle of a rose bush. I had attempted to make a rose garden several years ago; a different rose bush representing each female in the family. Only one survived. It too, has been neglected. Canes were not pruned, leaves were not dusted and the bush looks almost dead. Except for one tall sprout. The sprout shot straight up past all the old brown ones and managed to produce multiple buds with canary yellow tips peeking out.
Photo by Ann Wayne
As we celebrate the resurrection of Christ this Easter Sunday, may the hope of new life fill you with joy. The crown of thorns is history. Jesus paid the price for all of our sins and baggage. He is alive and He wants us to be filled to the overflow with His love and peace.
" My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
Happy Easter!
