How Flowers Lift the Heart

 I have to say that I agree with the Japanese saying, "If you want to be cheerful, if you want to be happy, surround yourself with flowers." 

Because, unless you are unfortunate enough to suffer from hay fever, flowers do have the power to lift our hearts. Their delicate beauty, their fragrance, the brightness of their colours (even if scientifically, I know that this is to attract insects and nothing to do with us!) always lift my spirits. And I love being presented with a bouquet of flowers for a special occasion.

Flowers have the power to lift our spirits whether they are shy woodland flowers or gorgeous hothouse blooms. I'm no gardener, but I love watching Gardeners' World, to see all the beautiful flowers which other people grow. 

Flowers are also signposts of the seasons. The snowdrops are nearly over now (ironic, as we are currently "enjoying" the first real snow of the winter, even though it is technically spring) and are making away for grape hyacinths and daffodils and purple, lilac, deep yellow and white crocuses in people's gardens, and celandines in the woods. They will be followed by pale yellow primroses and by blossom on the trees - white and pink for the most part, but also bright yellow. And of course, bluebells and tulips of all colours. Later on, the roses will begin to flower as well as the many more exotic garden flowers - including dahlias, peonies, zinnias, all of which I love to see on Gardeners' World.

The cowslips in the picture are my favourite spring flowers. When I was a little girl, they were much more common than they are now and the field opposite our house used to be full of them in late spring. Their scent is very sweet.

Which flowers lift your heart?

The Efficacy of Flowers

 I love this week's quotation, by Chao Hsiu Chen, "When a flower blooms, it shows us its beauty. If it does not bloom, it teaches us hope."

Flowers show us their beauty and lift our hearts. I walk either in the fields around the village or in Salcey Forest most days and my heart is always lifted by the sight of a flower I have never seen before - snowdrops, primroses, daffodils, tulips and just now, bluebells. I mark the passing of the days and of the seasons by the flowers that bloom.

And I suppose that a flower that does not bloom does teach us hope, in that we can wait in patience for it to bloom. 

But I have more often been taught hope by flowers that bloom in the oddest places - in the cracks of pavements, for example. They seem to prove that no matter what their environment, they will still burst forth in their glory. And that we can do the same, no matter how harsh our own situation.

They can also teach us about the power of nature to overcome man-made environments. I can remember seeing a photo of Chernobyl, the Russian city which had the nuclear incident in 1986. Nature has taken it over now...

I think that flowers can be a potent symbol of hope. They hold out the promise that there will always be new life, even in the darkest times.

What brings you hope, as we come out of this pandemic?

Flowers are Nature's Laughter

Such a gorgeous quotation this week, by the poet James Henry Leigh Hunt: "Colours are the smiles of Nature, and flowers are her laughter." It was illustrated by a gorgeous photo of (I think) apple blossom...

In this time of fear and physical isolation, it has been lovely to go out for my daily allowed walk, and to see the beauties of Nature unfolding in front of my eyes. Just before we were confined to the village, my husband and I went for a walk at Castle Ashby and saw these two beautiful magnolias, which will now be blossoming unseen by any except the gardeners...

And just around our village, there are beautiful flowers blooming in the Spring sunshine, whether in the hedgerows...

or in neighbours' gardens, which have lifted my heart so much...

It seems as though Nature is putting on a show to keep us cheerful, and to help us to stick to the rules and stay at home and stay safe.

Flowers are Nature's laughter. Even reading that made me smile. Every time I see a flower blooming I will smile right back at it. I've noticed a new influx of nature photos on Facebook - it seems that other people have had the same idea. And some people have commented that my photos have cheered them up too.

This current situation is deeply scary. And it's okay to admit that we are scared. Nothing like this has happened on this scale for very many years. It helps me, when I remind myself how much worse it would be, if we didn't have so many other ways of communicating - by phone, by e-mail and through social media. Not to mention conference call virtual meetings, which many Unitarian churches and chapels are experimenting with. I am grateful for all the ingenious ways people are coming up with at keeping in touch with each other, and for the IT facilities which enable them.

I had some fun yesterday... I had my first Face Time piano lesson. My piano teacher and I each sat at our pianos, linked by our iPads, and it worked really well. She could see my fingers as I played, and hear what was happening. And I could see and hear her demonstrating how it *should* be done :)

And the idea of clapping the NHS was a fabulous one! I'll finish with a prayer, which I'm using in weekly online services for my District:

Spirit of Life and Love,
Be with us as we gather for worship,
each in their own place.
Help us to feel a sense of community,
even though we are physically apart.
Help us to care for each other,
in this difficult time,
keeping in touch however we can,
and helping each other,
however we may.
We hold in our hearts all those
whose lives have been touched,
in whatever way,
by the coronavirus and the fall-out from it.
Amen