WINTER'S HERE - LET'S SMELL THE FLOWERS OF HOPE

WINTER IS HERE - LET'S SMELL 

THE FLOWERS 

OF HOPE

LET'S START WITH A CUP OF COFFEE AND A DONUT

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MY FIRST FLOWER FOR YOU IS

THE FLOWER OF

FOR-GET-ME-NOTS

With for-get-me-nots

I remember the joys of past Christmases

and Holidays

with trembling, but with a sense

of Thankfulness I had those joys.

This was a photo taken in 2008 of my husband

and I.   We had 52 years together 

Friends, lovers, and Believers in the Lord

Jesus Christ, we had so many times of 

sweet fragrance.\

So mull over where your heart is today,

and remember 

your FOR GET ME NOT times.

-----

MY NEXT FLOWER FOR YOU

IS  THE

LILY OF THE VALLEY

FRAGRANT, TINY LITTLE FLOWERS 

THAT HIBERNATE ALL WINTER, 

SPROUTING A ROOT SYSTEM

THAT BEATS THE BAND

 IN PRODUCING

HEALTHY SPROUTS FOR THE EARLY SPRING.

IN WINTER MONTHS WE END UP

WITH A BIT OF TIME

TO REMINISCE.  I USE THIS PICTURE

OF MY GRANDMOTHER'S COLLEGE YEARS

BECAUSE I REMEMBER AS A 13 YEAR OLD

HOW "SPECIAL" IT WAS TO THINK

JUST MAYBE I MIGHT GO TO COLLEGE..

IT WAS AT THIS TIME

THAT MY GRANDMOTHER SPENT

THE TIME LOOKING AT THE PHOTOS 

WITH ME.

LATER, HAVING MARRIED, I 

RECEIVED A BOX WITH THE PHOTOS 

IN IT.  THEY WERE MINE TO KEEP,

BUT I KNEW SOMEDAY I WOULD 

SHARE THEM WITH OTHERS

WHO, LIKE ME, WOULD BE

AWESTRUCK AT THE "DAYS" 

GONE BY.  

WHAT LILACS DO YOU HAVE IN 

YOUR LILAC CORNER?   IN MINE I 

FIND HIDDEN TREASURES THAT MY 

HEART KNOWS IT IS COMFORTED BY

FRAGRANCES OF LOVE GIVEN ME IN MY

LIFETIME.

-------------------------------

MY LAST FLOWER FOR YOU IS

THE BEARDED IRIS,

A ROYAL STEADFAST, AND ALWAYS

A PROFUSION OF BLOOMS MIXED IN 

A BEVY OF GREEN STEMS

IRIS BULBS CAN BE HARVESTED

AFTER THE BLOOM IS GONE, DID YOU KNOW?

TAKE THE LITTLE CORM THAT IS LEFT

AFTER THE PETALS FALL OFF,

AND LET THEM DRY ON PAPER

TOWELS AND ON NEWSPAPERS.

STORE THEM IN TINS, OR ALUMINUM FOIL.

EACH CORM WILL HAVE A NUMBER 

OF SEEDS IN IT 

EACH SEED CAN PRODUCE A different color

for your garden.

This is a photo of the famous HAIRPIN TURN

ON THE MOHAWK TRAIL 

near ADAMS and NORTH ADAMS, MA.

I remember my parents

driving me from North Adams to Adams.

I remember the times my family took 

time to go see relatives 

far away

The BEARDED IRIS plant reminds me 

of the stately STATURE OF PEOPLE

IN MY FAMILY WHO I MARKED AS BEING

VERY IMPORTANT TO ME

AS BEING MY EXAMPLES

AS BEING FRUITFUL BLOOMS OF

A WIDE VARIETY OF COLORS,

WITH LOTS OF green green green

surrounding the blossoms.

In my life I need

the 

FOR GET ME NOTS

THE  LILY OF THE VALLEYS,

AND

THE BEARDED IRISES.

have fun

with your

winter blues.

Find

flowers

to 

help

you cherish and grow

and become

to the little ones growing up

underneath you

wonderful fruitful examples

of God's Blessings.

AND DON'T FORGET TO ENJOY THAT COFFEE AND DOUGHNUT ! !