A Rosebud For Life

1 Corinthians 15:20 – But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Revelation 1:19 – Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.

I am not an accomplished gardener. I do, however, love flowers; and most everything in my yard and in my flower boxes signifies the life of someone who has meant something to me, and passed on. Just looking at the flowers gives me the warmest and happiest mood that makes me smile and feel pleased.

A bleeding heart blooms for my dad… for he, as a gardener and janitor at the airport on which we grew up, had the most radiant bleeding hearts. A lilac bush lulls one with its scent in memory of my mother. It reminds me of the time a friend gave one to us, but we had to get it out of the ground. Mum, a friend and I, dug and dug, and finally tied a rope around the roots. Grunting and groaning, resembling an episode from "The Three Stooges", we managed to get it out.

Daffodils dot my yard in memory of those who have passed on from cancer. Primulas poke through early, for a cousin's son who died after only four hours of life. A hyacinth returns each year at this time for a young friend who perished in a canoe.

A "Dusty Rose" was planted six years ago in memory of a friend who died of breast cancer. It blooms every year. Last year, in the fall however, when everything was wilting and finished, the dusty rose suddenly emerged again, this time on a new shoot, a new rosebud of life, for life.

My garden is not a sorrowful garden; it bursts forth in bloom signifying re-birth, or resurrection, if you will. This year, everyone is exclaiming how early everything, everywhere, is bursting forth. There is growth and beauty on everything. The daffodils are flourishing, the primulas seem fuller and brighter. The hyacinth, more fragrant. The lilac, more buds. There is a certain excitement in the air. Easter is coming; it is signifying the Resurrection… and so are my flowers.

My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,


Saviour divine:
Now hear me when I pray;
Take all my guilt away;
O let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, may our love and faith in you burst forth in bloom this Easter, forever flourishing in your grace. Bless those whose gardening knowledge and skills bring forth the plants, bulbs, bushes and trees we plant in our gardens. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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