The well fills drop by drop
so it is that we learn
how to love
little by little
until we are brimming over
spilling light and love
everywhere we go.
Category Archives: Notes
699. Thou art the iris, fair among the fairest… ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Iris was the Greek goddess for the Messenger of Love; the iris, her sacred flower, was considered the symbol of communication and messages. And as it was her duty to take the souls of women to the Elysian fields, Greek men would often plant an iris on the graves of their beloved women. ~Edited commentary by Hana Monogatari
Beauty: the adjustment of all parts proportionately
so that one cannot add or subtract or change without
impairing the harmony of the whole.
~Leon Battista Alberti
As beauteous parts
each add extravagance to
the sum of the charms
~Natalie Scarberry
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ~1 Peter 3:4 ✝
I love the luscious colors of all parts of this iris. Strangely, it was one I planted years ago, but until last year it hadn’t bloomed in some time. I’m so glad it’s back to blooming again.
698. We might live with the angels that visit us on every sunbeam, and sit with the fairies who wait on every flower. ~Samuel Smiles
Finger-like ancient
flowers dating back to the
reign of Edward III
Freckled are your tube-
like prettily colored bells
that look like a glove
And are a lurking
place of the wee folk who clap
the fairy thunder
Stately foxglove with
the lambs-tongue-leaves you thrill
the eye and heal hearts
But beware to all
who know not you can kill a
man as well as heal
Favorite of mine
are you in the garden but
grow you not in heat
So it is that I
must find you early in the
year to grow in pots
Where a favorite
of the buzzing bees and
my camera are you
Because you see
I love your freckly poetry
of apostrophes
My blogging friend, Bette Stevens, posted this week that April is national poetry month, and so I set out to write a series of haikus about a favorite flower of mine. I’m certainly no poet but I had fun trying to tell some of the lore about this flower in haiku fashion. Along with the verses are photos I’ve taken and others I found on Pinterest.
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. ~Isaiah 40:8 ✝
Dizi
Sure wish I had a dizi and knew how to play it!
I play the dizi,
And the wind begins to sing
A silent lesson.
The serenity of the
Dawns soothes all the pains.
The Ground I Stand On Is Holy
Oh how I love this. It is so true! Natalie 🙂
I do not have to go
To Sacred Places
In far-off lands,
The ground I stand on is holy.
Here, in this little garden
I tend
My pilgrimage ends.
The wild honeybees
The hummingbird moths
The flickering fireflies at dusk
are a microcosm
Of The Universe.
Each seed that grows
Each spade of soil
is full of miracles.
And I toil and sweat
And watch and wonder
And am full of love
Living in place –
In this place
For truth and beauty Dwell here.
~ Mary de La Valette
Photo at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/543668986236840425/
Rosa Route 66
What an wonderful photo of the fertile part of a flower!
697. The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day He created Spring. ~Bern Williams
The peace and beauty
of a spring day
had descended upon
the earth
like a benediction.
~Kate Chopin
Pink, pink, and more pink! Yes I know there are others colors in the garden, but what a lovely color is pink, the quiet hue on the sweet side of red. And then there are the wonderful names of the different shades of pink! What’s not to love about monikers like baby pink, berry pink, salmony pink, watermelon pink, and of course hot pink. Though most of the pinks tone down the color red, hot pink stimulates the high levels of energy associated with passion which the color red often signifies. Even in realms other than the garden pink is a revered color. For example, cities in the world are associated with it, businesses are linked to it, and then there’s the refreshing taste of pink lemonade consumed on hot summer days all over the world. It’s also a color mentioned in a host of song lyrics, and of course pink is the color of romance and young love. As a color long considered feminine, it was once a color associated with the Virgin Mary. Last but not least pink is the color of innocence, and as such it is oh so appropriate for the birthing of a new spring.
You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. ~Job 11:18 ✝
Listen.
Listen
Listen to the sound of a soft shadow
creeping across the landscape
blurring the mountains .
Listen to the sigh of a day in limbo
like a held breath when all is stilled
no voices raised.
Listen to the sound of a solar eclipse
no birds sing in the trees,no lambs bleat
even the sea is still.
Listen to the silence.
Then the sun brings light and laughter back.
And birdsong fills the air again.
This was posted on Dragonsilk as you can see below, but when I reblogged it, appeared too dark to be easily read so I’ve copied and pasted it so it can be enjoyed. It’s just too exquisite not to share. Natalie
696. Welcome, wild harbinger of spring! To this small nook of earth… ~Bernard Barton
Listen, can you hear it?
Spring’s sweet cantata.
The strains of grass pushing up.
The song of buds swelling on the vine.
The tender timpani of a baby robin’s heart.
Spring!
~Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider
In the glow of the dawn,
Welcome a new day,
Greet the golden sunlight or rain,
Nature in all its subtlety.
Whip of the wind,
Earth unfolds,
Softly falling rain,
Growing plants and buds blossoming.
Visions of the earth, with glories of nature,
Beauty of the daffodils,
Sunshine and rain from a rainbow,
Awe! Nature in full bloom.
~Blanche Black
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. ~Isaiah 35:1-2 ✝
And so spring begins in my small nook of earth with a smattering of roses and a new piece of yard art. I took this photo early this morning of a portion of the north quadrant of my back yard.
695. We are most alive when we’re in love. ~John Updike
Tell me how many beads there are
In a silver chain
of evening rain,
Unravelled from the tumbling main,
And threading the eye of a yellow star: –
So many times do I love again.
~Thomas Lovell Beddoes
I have been in love more times than one,
thank the Lord. Sometimes it was lasting
whether active or not. Sometimes
it was all but ephemeral, maybe only
an afternoon, but not less real for that.
They stay in my mind, these beautiful people,
or anyway beautiful people to me, of which
there are so many. You, and you, and you,
whom I had the fortune to meet, or maybe
missed. Love, love, love, it was the
core of my life, from which, of course, comes
the word for the heart. And, oh, have I mentioned
that some of them were men and some were women
and some — now carry my revelation with you —
were trees. Or places. Or music flying above
the names of their makers. Or clouds, or the sun
which was the first, and the best, the most
loyal for certain, who looked so faithfully into
my eyes, every morning. So I imagine
such love of the world — its fervency, its shining, its
innocence and hunger to give of itself — I imagine
this is how it began.
~Mary Oliver
In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling. ~Exodus 15:13 ✝
**Image via Pinterest
Sacred Touches 