Life is now and nothing teaches us this lesson more than nature. Learning to accept and embrace impermanence is accepting the Rose and Its thorn. It is celebrating the sweetness of the moment knowing that it too shall pass. This is celebrating life as it unfolds.

Flowers and plants have helped me through difficult times. Fresh blooms helped me through a divorce, single parenting and higher education. These blooms I picked  for myself and each day I began with some sweetness by inhaling the aroma while gazing at the beauty of each bloom. Looking at each petal and feeling the softness against my skin.

Meditating on flowers during challenging times I was witness to the flower’s tears that mix with the dew in morning light. With careful study I was aware of the bruises and imperfections on each petal. As an observer I noticed that the most delicate intricate petals also had some trauma and yet each flower continued to rise up towards the light. What we see when we view the whole flower is a work of wonder and beauty. It is all of the imperfections together that make the flower a flower.

Today, still healing flowers are a powerful reminder of the gift of each moment. Flowers are the sweet gifts of neighbors, friends and family. The plants and foliage are “ hello” and “goodbye”. They are the memories of love. Celebrating life is enjoying the sweet simplicity of all life and this is the rhythm of nature.

I’m still buying blooms for inspiration after cleaning or working on a creative project. I’m still meditating on love. Even the death of flowers is celebrated with reverence and love in my home and flowers are pressed and stored.

Flowers represent the life birth and death cycle and everything in between.

Dear friends, in the the midst of tears take a breath and remember even flowers cry and this moment is all we really have.

This is the beauty of this moment.

This is your life.