I wanted to share something I enjoy.

I read something last night that if the person who wrote it had said it to me personally, I would have given them a high five or a big hug or been their best friend. They said they always smile when they see a flower.

I love f lowers. I’ve never met a flower I didn’t like or didn’t find fascinating. Their colors, their shapes, sizes, intricateness. I am forever amazed.

The other day, I was going down the road and stopped at the stop light. I looked out the window and California poppies lined the road about two feet thick, and each was painted a brilliant orange hue.

My eyes welled up with tears. At that moment, I was taken in by the vast creativity of God. How can we, for a moment, think we have anything to do with such a miracle? Try as we might, we just have never been able to make a flower grow. We can follow each stated direction on the package, listen to the best for advising how to grow a flower and still come up with…nothing.

The next day, my neighbor didn’t have to work. She’s lived here for eight years and has never seen the Harry and David rose gardens. For those of you who don’t know, Harry and David, famous for their delicious candy-like pears and assorted Moose Munch and gift baskets, used to own Jackson and Perkins, famous for their roses. Even though they sold it a few years back, they still carry their roses out in front of their store this time of year. And, they also have a rose garden that is in prime blooming season right now. I have never seen so much beauty in one spot. Every color you can imagine is on display. Lavenders, pinks, peaches, yellows, golds, reds, oranges, whites, creams… it goes on and on and yes – every color. Blues, black in the center of a poppy, greens…

The only drawback is the birds. There is a pair of misplaced sand wrens who are very protective of, most likely, a nest nearby and they are not very nice.

I took my neighbor and my camera (again). The blooms of the prior week when I took pictures were nothing compared to this week. There were literally thousands more. What I thought was the ‘to die for’ of last week in regards to God’s beauty was far surpassed this week. It was a sheer delight to have my neighbor along, as well. She sees so much of life in a ‘for the first time’ view. She has got to be one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She has had a very hard life and because of her background, many of her experiences are for real – first time experiences. This was one.

I bought her a smoothie at the nearby coffee hut and we headed across the street to the garden. She got out of the car and that’s when it began. The ‘oohs’ and the ‘aahs’ and the ‘oh my goodnesses’ and the ‘you’ve gotta see this one’. It was a magnificent experience and I praise God for the opportunity to have had it. I want to see everything and praise God for it, as if for the first time and not take anything for granted.

Here are some of the pictures from that day. Enjoy.