I go to the garden alone, while the dew is fresh on the roses….
To be absolutely honest, I have no success with roses. Daddy, Amy, Dan, Jaclyn, etc. have all planted roses for me. Those rose bushes never last longer than a season or two, but I have lots of other flowers with fresh blooms all year round. Shrubs, trees, bulbs, perennials, annuals all have a place in my yard and in my heart. I do love to go out early in the morning while the dew is fresh -quite frequently in my nightgown and flip-flops (we usually don’t have neighbors in our secluded spot, so it is ok) to see what God has blessed me with on that day. I carry my clippers.
And he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own….
The words of that familiar hymn play in my head when I walk out into my yard. I can’t really call my yard a garden and I don’t think of myself as a gardener. I am more of a tender for flowers, but I have lots of them around my house, inside and out. I pick them when and where I can. I arrange them, I love to share them. If I don’t have enough, I buy others.
And the joy we share as we tarry there….
Flowers have become a spiritual thing for me and each bloom in its beauty, perfection and fragility is a constant reminder of the glory of God and his universe. They keep me connected to my past, to my present. I know where those plants came from: peonies from Dovie, hydrangeas from Mama Coan, Iris from Mama White, daffodils from Gran, Rose of Sharon from the farm by way of Daddy’s yard, etc. They all have a story. I will be glad to share.
Let’s repeat the chorus….
I love flowers! I love to look at them, so I grow them. I love to pick them when and where I can. I buy some, I grow some. I have them in my yard and in my house. I make several arrangements to enjoy in the house (and no, I can’t have too many.) I take them to friends as gestures of gratitude, welcome, get well or I am so sorry. I share them with that “joy.”
I love flowers! And I want to see them in church! As co-chair of the Worship and Music Lay Leadership Team, I am delighted to share with you new developments in making that happen. The team has received a small grant from the FUMC Foundation and a small line item in the budget to start a new flower ministry. The flower team will take flowers used to enhance our sanctuary for our services and divide them into individual arrangements to be delivered to designated hospitalized or shut in members by the Pastoral Care team and our Stephen ministers. It is a way let those who are suffering or lonely know that we care for them and that they are in our thoughts and prayers. In addition, a small flower arrangement can welcome newcomers or celebrate a milestone.
The flower team now has enough funds to cover our project for one or two Sundays a month, but we need your help for the rest. The minimum cost of a fresh flowers arrangement for the sanctuary is $75.00. You can now help in several ways. Individuals can purchase an arrangement from the local florist and have it delivered on the specified Sunday. However, in addition, we now have a flower fund where tax deductible donations of any amount can be directed as memorials or gifts of honor or celebration. Simply write your check to FUMC and designate Flower Fund on the memo line. The new flower team will then assist with the purchase and delivery of arrangements. Contact the church office for wording of dedications for the bulletin. As always, you can choose to take any arrangement that you have purchased for personal use.
From Isaiah 35:1-2
Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy.
Faye Coan
fayecoan@comporium.net