Monday, May 13, 2019

The Language of Flowers


Like many lucky mothers across the country yesterday, I was gifted with beautiful flowers for Mother's Day. A sweet pot of dark magenta mums sits next to me here at my desk. Once they become acclimated to their new home, they will be put into a bigger pot that will become a feature in my tabletop fairy garden. I also received a bouquet of fresh cut, tiny orange day lilies that are now gracing the table where I eat my meals. Every time I sit down to eat or walk past it, I will be re-gifted over and over with their simple beauty. In every way, they are truly Mother Nature's messengers, sending messages of beauty, joy, and gratitude for the simple things in life.

Did you know that flowers have a language all their own? For many years, and especially during the Victorian era, people associated flowers with specific meanings. For example, we all know that red roses usually refers to romantic love, but did you know that white roses represent new beginnings? That's why they are popular in bridal bouquets. Pink hydrangeas also represent love, while white ones are symbols of purity and abundance. Gardenias represent trust and hope, and stargazer lilies represent ambition and encouragement. Tulips, those long-awaited signs of the arrival of spring, represent enduring love between partners and family. And we've all heard the saying, "Rosemary for remembrance." 

I like to think flowers are the way Mother Nature shows off her artistic abilities while reminding us that beauty is all around us and and always has been since the beginning. It's where the great artists got their inspiration, and where writers like Henry David Thoreau and poets like Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson found meaning. We don't need iPhones and iPads to find beauty and meaning in our lives. We just have to put down the devices, go outside, and see for ourselves. No text message or Facebook selfie can compare to the messages of love that are all around us each and every day.

And so it is.