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.