Today's Joy: Stuff You Can't Get Enough Of.
All right, Reader. Perhaps you're getting a bit bored with all my passion flower photos. If so, I do apologize and promise that I will move on to something else shortly. I'm just so darn pleased with them and lately, they've been appearing at the rate of one new flower each day. As there are only two left to open and a blossom lasts just 24 hours, I've been relishing each new debut. I think I find passion flowers fascinating in part because of their brief lifespan. All that creativity and drama and glamour goes into something so fleeting. Certainly keeps me mindful of the beauty in the moment.

Besides, I'm sure there's something in your life, Reader, that fascinates you no end while simultaneously boring the crud out of everyone who loves you. I think that's one of the bedrock principles of any good relationship: I'll put up with your weird obsession if you put up with mine... (within reason, of course.)



It's also important at times to indulge our innate curiosity impulse. Helps us understand the world around us, and perhaps even ourselves, a little better. Have you noticed, Reader, how much better it feels to focus on the healthy things in your life that you can't get enough of, rather than on all the things that bother you? You might say that a little healthy fascination makes us happier. I'm all for that. And if you somehow haven't had your fill of passion flowers yet, here's a link to my flickr set. Okay, I promise I'm moving on now.......

Aunt's incomparable Aurora Blue delphiniums.

Today's Joy: Those Things God Provides.
Uh-oh, Reader. Woke up this morning with all the classic symptoms of a UTI. I began to panic a tad when I thought about the bills coming due this week and now an added health expenditure. Opened my mouth to complain, but then remembered my week-long No Grumbling, No Complaining Challenge and held my tongue.

Aunt said,"Maybe it's a test." I suspected she was right, so instead of being afraid & whining about bad timing, I told God I knew he had this covered and I would wait for the solution to present itself. Then I called Mom, who works in the healthcare industry, for some advice. Long story short, that call led to an inexpensive physician-approved solution. Hurray! Thanks to Mom & God for taking good care of me.

This got me thinking about all the ways God provides for us each day that we take for granted. When I get in my truck each morning to go to work, I turn the key in the ignition and expect my vehicle to work. An hour before that, I turn on the faucet and get in the shower, expecting hot, running water. 20 minutes before that, I put a mug of cold water in the microwave and expect I will get hot water for my coffee. And every night, I go to bed taking for granted that I'll wake up the next morning. I have hundreds of expectations like this throughout the day. And if just one of them doesn't happen, it can throw the whole day out of whack. How utterly my daily life depends on God! Without Him, nothing would work or even exist at all.

Sometimes it's good just to keep that in mind, when the day runs smoothly and I'm still peeved about some little insignificant problem. After all, if it's important, He's gonna fix it. And if He doesn't, it's probably not that big a deal, anyway.


Delphiniums are huge this year!



Blossom Detail.

Stepping out into Aunt's garden reminds me of something else He provides: all the beauty in our daily lives. All those deep sighs of contentment--whether they happen when you get home from a long day at work, or when you take time out of your day to stop and have lunch by a pond, or when you step out of your house and feel blessed to be surrounded by so many gorgeous living things. Of course, there's also those 2 and four-legged beings moving around your life. They may not always be pretty, but they are beautiful.

Go forth this weekend, Reader, and take a moment to look around your life at all we take for granted. Say a little thank you for all those blessings. I'll be right there with you.


Stalks are over 4 feet tall!

Cozy coral roses.

Yellow Lilies at Sundown.

Today's Joy: Having My Coffee in the Kitchen Each Morning with a Lady's Slipper Orchid.
Cappuccino just tastes better when you're in the company of a marvelous orchid, Reader. Each day I come downstairs, looking forward to a steaming mug of Hills Bros. Dark Chocolate and some quality wake-up time. An entire half hour spent sipping hot deliciousness while I contemplate my paphiopedilum starts any day off right.

If you haven't had the pleasure, there's something sophisticated and wonderful about orchids. They're part regal, part funky and all kinds of interesting. It's their distinctive originality that appeals most to me. I find it easier to tackle the inevitable daily problems of life when I'm in the frame of mind to appreciate complex life forms. Besides, how cool is it to grow something that weird-looking?

Today's Joy: Observation, Physical Form & Appreciation

Spoke to a good friend via Facebook this morning, Reader, and we both savored having a little unhurried time to just enjoy the day. God does such great work that it really is a shame to not look around us and observe the fine points & minute details of His creation.

Look at this wildflower, for example. Look at those cute little curly things in the middle. See how the edges of the petals look like they've been clipped by pinking shears? True, I don't know the technical names of the flower parts. I don't have any botany facts to back up my observations. But I do know when I see a little miracle of creation in front of me. What a beautiful form for reproduction to take! Of course, you'd never see the intricacies or appreciate the complicated design of such a thing if you didn't put down your cellphone or laptop or tear yourself away from a meaningful discussion with the GPS to notice the physical world around you.

In 2010 it is very possible to spend the majority of your day effectively living in your head and not engaging the world around you at all. But if you're like me, Reader, something inside you becomes uneasy when you realize the day has gone by and hours of physical sensation have become a blur. I believe God wants us to live spiritually, to reach beyond our physical limitations. But he also gave us these physical bodies, the ability to analyze & appreciate and all these amazing sensations for a reason. What a waste to leave your body effectively "parked" at a work station for hours while your mind is off tripping through cyberspace or daydreams.

Flesh & blood vessels are not designed to be docked like an Ipod. We are designed to interact and be vital. We're designed to love and learn and touch everything around us with an insatiable curiosity to know. We are capable of so much more than sitting and staring while our neurons fire and we play out some alternate existence on a flat screen.

There is a synergy, a compilation in creation that melds our physicality with the power of our thoughts. I suspect that partnership is our true medium. And I bet that's the experience God wants us to have. A balance between all that freaky mental energy rolling around in our heads and the amazing capability for expression in our physical form. It really is mind-boggling.

Long story short: take out your earbuds for a moment, Reader. Pull your hands off the keyboard. Turn off the blue tooth for just a few moments and take a deep breath. Close your eyes and listen to the environment around you. Listen to what you were oblivious to a moment ago. Listen to your own heart beat. Then open your eyes and look around.

What do you see?