Monday, February 1, 2010

A beautiful Lotus poem from long, long ago

The Lotus
by: Li Bai (701-762)
translated by Shigeyoshi Obata

In the deep sequestered stream the lotus grows, blooming fresh and fair in the morning sun. Its' glowing petals hide the clear autumn water and its thick leaves spread like blue smoke. Alas, in vain its' beauty excels the world. Who knows? Who will speak of its' rare perfume? Lo, the frost will come, chilling the air and its crimson must wither, its' fragrance fade. Ill it has chosen the place to plant its root. Would it could move to the margin of a flower pond!

Monday, January 25, 2010

At times when I am sad or angy or frustrated...

At times when I am sad or angry or frustrated, I go into my little garden or flower studio and begin to create something very wonderful and beautiful. After a short time my my emotions seem to even out and I am once again "enlightened".

Abraham Lincoln wrote "Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who know me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow"

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The Lotus

The special lotus flower

There are few plants on this earth that capture one’s attention to immediately convey a feeling of the beauty, wonder and mystique of nature. The lotus is one of those rare gifts. It affects us all, pond owners, poets, spiritualists, artists, gardeners, scientists and historians.

I chose the lotus as the logo for my flower business as well as my web name as it came to me during one of my mediations. A Buddhist Monk said that the lotus flower holds a special place for us because it symbolizes our struggle in this world. It is born in the still waters of the pond underneath the mud and when the time comes it emerges. It grows out of the water and straight toward the sky, opening its petals in the rays of the warm sunlight revealing its beauty and sharing its fragrance with the world leaving the mud far behind. Even its leaves are water resistant as the flower reaches toward the sky somehow existing as part of its environment and separate from it at the same time.

This is my new beginning and time of blossoming and spreading joy in the later years of my life. Thank you all for following me as I strive to spread beauty and share the fragrance of this blog. Come with me and watch my garden grow!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Flowers for healing







Flowers and plants have powers to heal the heart and sooth the soul.