465. The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. ~Henry Ward Beecher

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Jasmine blossoms round the arbour,
Elder spreads along the air,
Hollyhocks stand proudly tallest
In the fragrant thoroughfare.
~Excerpt from a poem by Dollie Radford

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Hollyhocks

Old-fashioned flowers! I love them all:
The morning-glories on the wall,
The pansies in their patch of shade,
The violets, stolen from a glade,
The bleeding hearts and columbine,
Have long been garden friends of mine;
But memory every summer flocks
About a clump of hollyhocks.

The mother loved them years ago;
Beside the fence they used to grow,
And though the garden changed each year
And certain blooms would disappear
To give their places in the ground
To something new that mother found,
Some pretty bloom or rosebush rare–
The hollyhocks were always there.

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It seems but yesterday to me
She led me down the yard to see
The first tall spires, with bloom aflame,
And taught me to pronounce their name.
And year by year I watched them grow,
The first flowers I had come to know.
And with the mother dear I’d yearn
To see the hollyhocks return.

The garden of my boyhood days
With hollyhocks was kept ablaze;
In all my recollections they
In friendly columns nod and sway;
And when to-day their blooms I see,
Always the mother smiles at me;
The mind’s bright chambers, life unlocks
Each summer with the hollyhocks.
~Edgar A. Guest

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I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ~Ecclesiastes 3:12   ✝

Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you save, you heal, you restore, and you reveal Your Father’s heart to us! May I dwell in Your holy presence and praise Your name for all that you have given and done.

 

12 thoughts on “465. The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. ~Henry Ward Beecher”

    • I hope you find some. Heat is right. We have been in the triple digits for days and days!!! But it looks like towards the end of the week we’ll drop down in the 90’s. I hope your bearing up under the heat too, my friend. August is my least favorite month and I’m ALWAYS sooooooooooo glad to see it go. It’s still hottish in September and sometimes even October here, but we are usually out of those damn searing highs by then. Hugs, N 🙂

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  5. Natalie, flowers do evoke the fondest of childhood memories. Hollyhocks remind me of playing at my cousin’s house where the flowers grew along their back fence. I always enjoy the treasures you find and create for your posts. Thank you for a lovely walk down memory lane.

    Blessings & hugs ~ Wendy ❀

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