The season of fresh blooms in the house is here again!
(My first official bouquet of the season. This was last Monday and it looked great all week long!)
Early morning meanders around the yard, with clippers in hand, is part of my daily routine each summer.
Something about it - the vibrant birdsong, the sparkling dewdrops, the smell of country air first thing in the morning... grants me the most luxurious start to the day.
This morning, when I opened my Bible app to begin my morning readings, I saw thunderstorms were due by 7:00am. I purposed to finish reading as soon as possible so I could get outside to beat the rain.
By 6:30 I had completed a chapter in Acts, two chapters in 1 Samuel, and noticed subtle grayness coming over the sky.
With Abigail's stunning and noble response to David's men fresh on my mind, I donned my rain jacket, grabbed my clippers, and headed outside.
I don't like to disturb my gardens too much by over-clipping blooms, so I walk all around the property looking for various textures and flowers to snip. One sprig here, another over here... all meld together in the vase at home for a beautiful bouquet.
Abigail's words were still with me by the time I had found my way into the orchard, considering my next clip - pink cherry blossom, or white apple blossom?...
When accepting David's proposal to be his wife, "She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, 'Here I am, ready to serve you.' " (1 Sam. 25:41)
Isn't that exactly what the life of a wife and mother is? A life of service.
How I wish someone would have taught me that when I got married at only 23 years old.
"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The barn cats found me in the orchard. Their meows of, Good morning, where have you been? We're starving to death! put an abrupt end to my contemplations on the matter.
After filling their food bowls and deciding I had enough clippings, I returned to the house, greeted by a quiet kitchen, and the strong smell of fresh coffee.
I set to work right away.
Tall pitchers function nicely for this.
Lately I've been using this hand-painted antique pitcher gifted to me several Christmases ago.
I filled it all the way up to the top with cold water, then stuffed some boxwood down into the bottom to act as a "frog," holding everything in place.
Seeing this fresh bouquet on my table as my first accomplishment of the day motivates me to continue working on my household tasks.
Today's tasks include:
Watering houseplants, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, being content in my "life of service," and resting in the truth, on this Mother's Day eve, that God chose me for this home and family.
"He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." (Acts 17:26)
xo,
~ Courtney
