Seeing the Flowers in Life

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”  -
Henri Matisse


In six grade, my amazing teacher, Mrs. Vindivich, has us all describe our "happy place" for a writing assignment. My happy place has always been my grandmother's backyard. What a glorious place that was. It is here that I tasted my first cherry, picked my first sugar peas, made my first snapdragon "laugh". I marveled at the colors of her gorgeous rose garden, the nectar within the columbine, the intrigue of the bleeding heart. It was a miniature Eden and I LOVED it. 
My grandmother is gone now and her garden is fast disappearing too. The fruit trees have had no one to pay them attention for a couple years and the rose bushes are being uprooted and transplanted to her children's homes. I am grateful that she shared something with me that was more long-lasting than her flowers though. She shared with me her love of a garden and that I can keep with me forever!
My garden right now is pretty sad. My apartment porch has 3 little planter boxes that now hold mostly shriveled plants. My poor garden didn't survive the its week long drought very well while I was in Utah last month. What is left has been growing up nice and tall, so tall that the poor little plants can't hold themselves up. Today I decided to attack the mess and whip it back in shape. I figured half the plants are already dead so what is there to lose with experimenting, right?
I trimmed away all the dry, dead parts and lobbed off the tall portions of the living. I've never learned much about gardening, just admired pretty gardens for the most part, but I have read the scriptures enough to learn that plants benefit from pruning. They've got to get stronger, fuller, and more beautiful if I whack them all off right? I think...
I'll try it out. I hung my herbs up to try and put my flowers in a pretty vase. It felt good and hopefully something fabulous will come of all my whacking. We'll see. I took some pictures so I can compare it someday if it actually works. 
Now for a favorite little story about how the Lord prunes us. Hope you take the time to read it, or reread it!

http://www.lds.org/new-era/1973/01/the-currant-bush

I am so grateful so the times in my life when the Lord has whacked me down and pruned me so that I could get stronger. I know that through our trials we come out a hundred times better if only we rely on our Savior!