i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
~e. e. cummings

The flowers in the photos are some of the ones that bloomed in my yard at varying times throughout the course of a year’s growing seasons.  Witnessing their glory along with all the rest that bloomed was like reliving some of the 7 days of the Creation story.  The first beauties showed up in early spring while others appeared in mid to late spring, and a lesser measure bloomed during summer’s dreadful heat.  Later even a goodly portion of blossoms proffered themselves in autumn’s realm.  As the bountiful year ended I found myself wondering, as I have before, what I could do to offer up sufficient praise for the Lord’s lovely gifts in my garden and in my life in general.  In and of themselves the flowers, their paramours-the bees and butterflies, and other assorted Godsends evoked daily gratitude and adoration, but it didn’t seem enough since there was so much more to be thankful for.  For example, there was the reawakening of my ears to the sweet sound of earth’s music after winter’s silence and the reopening of my eyes to color after winter’s drabness; they reminded me how precious my God-given senses are and how much of the world comes to me through them.  In fact, in my garden I am always wowed by the delights my senses afford, and they, like nothing else, pump life-giving energy and spiritual well-being into me.  But again, the Godsends, the flowers, and the renewed awareness of sensory blessings were still only a portion of God’s gifts.  I was also granted the miracle of healing and restoration after a life-threatening stroke.  Cherished people and pets as well enriched my daily life along with the arresting spectacles of the changing seasons, the starry nights, the sky, both clear and full of stormy clouds after months of drought, and a myriad of other gifts and miraculous events.  Eventually the task of declaring suitable praise and gratitude became almost mind-boggling.  Then one Sunday I heard the solution in a pastor’s sermon: in addition to my expressed gratitude, the befitting way to adore the Lord and praise Him is for me to use my eyes, my face, my smile, my touch, my words, my very presence to reflect His amazing overflow of goodness, mercy, and loving-kindness.  My blessed life and gifts can be turned into blessings for others when I share such thing with my loved ones, with those who have no family or friends, with those who may not be able to witness a garden’s glory, with those whose hearts are broken, with those who live in fear, with those who are hurt or ill, with those who know hunger and thirst and so on?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.            ~2 Corinthians 1:3-4