Deep breath. I’m so out of breath. One thing after another.

I’m learning as I go. I put things up and take things down. I appreciate the “likes” about “Faith’s Danger.” But then I decided I put on the wrong song and the piece was too political too, and other things. For one thing, I pictured being in one of those churches I don’t like, that try to tell people how to vote. I don’t want to be political here. So I’m sorry for being political. Hopefully I will catch my breath again soon.

I found another beautiful book in the university library for 50 cents. It’s called “Japan: Selected Readings” by Hyman Kublin. Here’s something beautiful from the chapter called “Zen, Tea and Flowers.”

“Ikebana (flower arrangement) and cha-no-yu (tea ceremony) were studied by both men and women…for five hundred years.”

In the story, a young lady is learning the arts of flower arranging and tea ceremony. The Flower Master‘s name is “En-Ka-An.”

No matter how awkward the student’s early flower arrangements, the Master Teacher would say something like “What a beautiful arrangement!”

Toward the end of the story, there is a quote from Okakura, about our imperfect striving, our “tender attempts to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life.”

So here is another awkward arrangement, from my heart to yours, for one more day. Arigatou gozaimasu. And God bless you this Monday.

(Breathing’s softer now:) I hope you can hear and see this beautiful music video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hskCoPqt4yc

A collection of lit candles on ornate candlesticks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday, I saw orchids in the floral section of a Bi-Lo grocery store.

The tags on those elegant flowers said “Just Add Ice Orchids.” At the Just Add Ice Orchids website, there are wonderful things to learn about orchids, like how watering orchids with ice cubes can prevent over-watering. The ice cubes watering method works with other flowers as well.

Orchids are such exotic flowers, originally from the Far East tropical climates.

In other places, where it gets cold, orchids and other tropical plants grow in greenhouses, glass-like, where there’s always balmy warmth and personal care and precise beauty, grown with carefully-controlled lighting. It sounds so elegant, taking care like that.

All an orchid has to do is say hello to be glorious.

Beautiful elegance like that has its place, but there’s shared simplicity as well.

Last night, at Catholic class, they gave us little white pumpkin-shaped candles, wrapped in clear cellophane, like crinkled glass, tied at top with a straw-like bow. The straw reminds me of the manger, the stall, where Jesus, the King of Kings, was born.

It’s almost time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, this Christmas. It’s so joyful, thinking about Jesus and Christmas and how He was born and died and Rose Again, to free the whole world from sin and death and eventually from all sorrow, for anyone who believes in and trusts Him, Jesus gives abundant life, everlasting (but not always easy) life.

Written in earth brown script on the candle was the word “Blessed.” That’s how it felt this morning, looking at that simple little candle with its message of love, from God‘s heart, to someone else’s heart, to all our hearts.

Related articles

• The Orchid of Forgiveness. (manifestationyoga.com)
• 4) What so special about this Orchid? (addgrainonearth.com)
• 20th Oct 2012 – Another orchid (myphotoyear2012.wordpress.com)

English: Close-up photograph of a dandelion flower. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The bright spot in the day so far is a single yellow dandelion, sitting in the green grass late this morning.

There’s a lot to learn about Dandelions.

Dandelions are like weeds and flowers at the same time.

That’s wild, isn’t it, how dandelions, though weeds, are useful in their own way.

Maybe nothing is completely evil, which makes evil hard to spot, which is scary, so it’s best not to get too close. Only God knows how to handle real evil. He’ll show the way.

Anyway, at e-How Home, it notes that dandelions are considered invasive weeds, but every part of the plant is useful for something. Dandelions have been used to make dandelion wine or dandelion tea and they’ve been eaten for their greens and also used as herbal cures. (Don’t try this at home or anywhere. I’m not an expert).

Here’s what else: Dandelion flowers overcome frequent mowing, tenacious they say, because of the unique way they were created, like a group, and like an individual, but at the same time. It sounds alien.

We affect each other, for good or for bad, hopefully for good. Over time, and as much as possible, let us be at peace.

Still, sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie. Sometimes there’s nothing that can be done to make peace or make things any better. Some things hurt too much. Some things are too dangerous. So we have to sit it out and stay away.

At “Moment of Science,” (wonderful name!) you can learn more about Dandelions, as well as many other amazing or puzzling created things.

My young friend Dominick used to always say “Have a great day!” We never see each other or talk or write anymore, but some people you just know will always be your friend, no matter what.

Time to go for now, my friends. Hope to see you Thursday! Have a great day!

http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/dandelion-born/

Related articles

• Giant Dandelion-Shaped Ball Blows Up Landmines [VIDEO] (mashable.com)
• Adverbs and Dandelions by Stephen King (4writersandreaders.wordpress.com)
• DIY Chicory and Dandelion Coffee (earthelixir.ca)
• Bamboo Grass (twolfgcd.wordpress.com)

Photo Courtesy of Beautiful Free Pictures.com. Beautiful gathering of flowers, in purple and white. Visit Beautiful Free Pictures.com for more beautiful pictures.

The flowers of Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis), the finnish national flower, are now opening. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday was my daughter’s birthday. I texted her in the morning, right around the hour she was born.

She texted back and it felt so good to know she’s here, in this world, which she tries to make a better place every single day of her life, building up hearts and homes.

So while we were texting, she asked me a question, one she’d asked before and she criticized herself in a way for having to ask again. But I didn’t mind at all that she asked again and I said, ask anything. I love you *exactly* like you are. You are *precious* in my sight.”

My heart nearly burst with joy, yearning to grant any little request. How wonderful it is to love somebody that much, so much that doing just about anything for that person seems almost like doing nothing, because love takes away drudgery.

Just a couple of days before my daughter asked me that question, my son asked me for something, nothing difficult, but something important. It made me so happy to be able to do something doable for him. For them.

These incidents showed me for the first time how Jesus really feels when He says in John 14:13, “You can ask for anything and I will do it so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.” He longs to hear us; help us; console us; steady us; guide us; love us! Oh, if we only knew how much He feels our feelings and wants to do even one little thing to show His love. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

Besides her work for a non-profit organization, my daughter–who was named after one of the women who followed Jesus, supported His ministry (out of their own means) and who was among the first witnesses (all women) to the Resurrection–enjoys floral arranging, apparently a gift passed down from her paternal great-grandmother, who also loved this delicate, elegant craft.

The flower for the month of May is The Lily of the Valley, a tiny white flower also known as Our Lady’s Tears. According to Babies Online (for parents trying to give their babies meaningful names) the little white flowers were said to be what grew when Mary mother of Jesus shed tears at the Cross where He died.

White flowers are among the many flowers and colors my daughter enjoys, but she especially loves the focal flower Ranunculus. At Teleflora, you can see that, in the language of flowers, the Ranunculus says, “I’m dazzled by your charms.”

While I was thinking of my daughter and looking up flowers, I ran across the New York Times Bestseller “The Language of Flowers,” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The artful, floral cover says, “Anyone can grow into something beautiful.” She did. My daughter did exactly that. My daughter is beautiful, inside and out. She is like flowers, and music, in person.

Who doesn’t enjoy flowers?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said “The world laughs in flowers”–and I believe him.

The other day I went shopping for some summer clothes. The weather outside this March is almost balmy and the long, hot summer is well on its way.

At the department store, there were some blouses with big floral designs on them. There were solid colors and stripes as well.

I bought one striped shirt in pale blue, light yellow and white and another in blues, purples, a little green and lavender in a big wildflower print. Other choices went to K-mart’s layaway department, layaway plans being  true godsends for those of us who cannot pay for or charge items all at once.

Then I decided to learn more about florals. I discovered flowers can be symbolic and really can say something. According to FTD.com and Withers Place Publications, the chrysanthemum, for instance, is considered a noble flower in China. A bright orange mum is speaks of the sun’s bright color and means “fascinated and enthused.”

But what about the wildflower blouse in shades of blue, violet, orchid, a little green and lavender? At Teleflora, I found that blue can mean calmness and peace.  Another site said violet may signify imagination and spirituality, while orchid is delicate and luxurious. The green leaves mean resilience and the gentle lavender speaks of grace.

Is it possible to live up to a blouse’s message?  Maybe we will all someday be as wonderful as those florals, speaking to God and each other in favorable tones and hues, always mindful of quiet meanings and the context of all living things.