Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Flower power

It's easier to believe in the phenomenon of the small, daily miracle in the spring time. These crocuses have burst into bloom - a whole month early - thanks to the warm weather we've been having. Jacqueline Heriteau writes this about the unique power flowers have to lift the heart and the spirit:

"It was flowers that got me through bleak times. At the age of twelve, I would sneak out to the park after Mama fell asleep to steal lilacs and roses for her. I knew exactly what I was doing; I was foraging for one of life's essentials. This was in the late 1930's, the Depression years. We were alone in Canada and broke. Keeping up Mama's joie de vivre was as crucial to survival as having air to breathe. Holding flowers, so mysterious in their indomitable unfolding, their fragility and freshness, revived her. Arranging them in a vase saved from happier days in Paris lifted the world for Mama and brought out the sun.

"I've come to believe that flowers are a covenant, closer to hand and more tangible than rainbows. Along with family and food, flowers are true substance, the smile of the hidden force that governs all life. Beauty feeds a basic hunger. Joy makes us whole. Everything else is icing on the cake - what you go through to get to the heart of being." 

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1 comment:

J. A. Olaguera said...

Where do you get all these wonderful little anecdotes?

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