When I was little, I remember my aunt kindly teasing me because with every song that would come on the radio I would exclaim “Oh my gosh, I LOVE this song! This is my favorite song!” Or something along those lines.
She asked how many “favorite” songs I could possibly have?
With each song, I would feel the music in my body and be fully immersed in appreciating it. I would so fully be enjoying the music, that each song felt like my favorite in that moment. Or at least, in the midst of my joy, I would declare each one a favorite.
When it comes to flowers, I have a lot of favorites too. I love them all. With each new flower that emerges, I feel a love that brims over, and that is the flower that gets all my adoration in that moment.
Each flower is a favorite in a different way. I love the bright yellow of a daffodil on a rainy spring day. I love the glowing white trillium flowers on the forest floor. I love the gentle scent of roses, and how soft the petals are. I love the way daisies make you want to smile every time you see them.
Have I mentioned lilacs? The way they call to you whenever you are walking by… their fragrance is fleeting, and meant to be savored at every opportunity.
Have you ever admired a honeysuckle in the early morning light? I cannot even describe it’s scent other than to say it transports you somehow.
And the smell of sweet peas? My goodness.
And calendula? I can’t forget to mention the humble calendula. Hardy, dependable. Seeing calendula flowers blooming all around the garden just makes me feel good. I feel comforted by them.
And dahlias? And zinnias? And snapdragons? What about irises? There are so many flowers to appreciate!
And sunflowers! Sunflowers have a special place in my heart. I love the way sunflowers have their face to the sun. I love that they are bright… that they are filled with JOY. I especially love when they are covered in bees and butterflies, and “Sunflower Yellow” is one of my very favorite colors.
I appreciate how flowers bring us into the present moment.
To admire them, smell them, feel them… we must be pulled from our thoughts of other places and things… we must be fully in the here and now so we can drink up the color, and the fragrance they offer so freely.
Flowers mark the season, and bring such sweetness. Some bloom for such a brief time, deepening the appreciation for them and for that time of year.
My mom often planted flowers when I little, sharing my grandmother’s love for them. My mom told us stories about my grandmother doing field trips for children, showing them all the native wildflowers where she lived.
My grandma grew a lot of flowers in her garden too. I have favorite memories of getting out of the car, and starting our visit at my grandma’s house with a garden walk. During our garden walks, my grandma would show my mom, sister, and I all the flowers that were blooming, and hand us herbs to smell.
When I met Jeff, he had the most beautiful garden I had ever seen, and there were flowers everywhere. B has grown up surrounded by flowers, and now we are a family of flower lovers.
Jeff and B love to make vases of flowers, and you can often find me taking pictures of flowers in the garden. In the winter, you can find our family going through seed catalogs, picking out flowers for next year’s garden, wondering where we will fit them all.
Flowers inspire love in us, connecting humans with our bee friends who share our love of flowers.
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Tell us, what are all your favorite flowers?
P.S. After reading this post, Jeff and B had more flowers to mention. McKana Columbines, Russell Lupines, gladiolas, violets, geraniums, jasmine, narcissus, yarrow, marigolds and hyacinths. We could keep going and going!
Diana says
Beautiful!