With the generosity of nature, my pink rose bush is putting forth new buds every day.  It doesn’t hold back, doesn’t judge if the weather is too hot or too cold. Doesn’t sulk if petals fall in drifts as soon as a sweet smelling bloom has matured.  This flower caught my eye because a leaf had pressed against it and not allowed it to open fully on one side.  Perfect in its imperfection.  So I chose it above all the others.

The little orchid leaf is a tribute to persistence.  A clump of leaves burst out of the stem of an old orchid plant I was nursing along into second blooming.  I had never seen such a thing.  Usually the leaves stay down at the base of the pot.  I cut off the leaves with a few roots and planted it, but they withered and some of the roots turned brown.  I put it out onto the balcony, meaning to deal with it when the mess in my house was more under control.  Look what it did! It made some tiny new leaves.  It decided to grow its own way, the way it wanted.  I gave up on it but it did not give up on itself. It stayed alive and lives its own way.

Lessons for me today.