turning

one of my disciplines this year has been "to notice". specifically the seasons and various plant life. i wanted to pay attention to the order of things. fruits...vegetables...spring flowers...timothy grass, hay and various wheats...which berries came first...when to pick peaches...the life cycle of poppies.

a striking hand-made card came in the mail yesterday from a lovely young lady i mentor. in it was the following, when you nurture nature, it returns the favor. she also wrote, every moment and every event of every person's life on earth plants something in her soul.

so later in the evening when i heard that a good friend had passed away, i was quietly surprised. surprised, but peaceful. not upset per se. but death, by nature, is always unsettling. i found myself cleaning things almost compulsively in an effort to bring order; make things right...under things, in forgotten corners, the microwave, behind the piano.

and then i remembered seasons. the image that came to mind was the beauty of a poppy at the end of it's life. the burgeoning red of first bloom is what always used to grab my attention. now i think the latter carries it's very own richness. to everything there truly is a season. peace, darleen, and thank you for your example of letting life unfold.