Gather ye rosebuds

This silver flower was sent to me last Christmas.  I had a friend, and she was great - she was very kind to me at Christmas, and then she was great when I had to have surgery last spring.

This flower was on a series of presents; she sent me a big box, two Christmases ago.  I really liked this flower, and another ornament, Christmas bulbs, that she put on it.  I really appreciated the gesture.  It made me feel warm in a cold, dark season.

Then, one day, about six months later, poof.  Words were spoken, and she was gone.

This flower just sort of appeared at my feet as I was wandering around the house, getting ready for a New Year.  Cleaning, trying to clear up some clutter, putting away laundry, wiping away dust and grime that accumulated, and I was walking out of the art studio and there it was, lying on the floor.  I don't know where it came from - I must have shifted something and it fell out.

But there it was.

I really like this flower.  It's just a shiny thing, but its form is nice, it is soft and pliant.  And I think it was sent to me with the best intentions.

It reminds me, once again, nothing is permanent.  Friendships, most of them, are like flowers - they blossom with great beauty, and then they fade.

Be grateful, and cherish them while they grow.

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Time is still a-flying;

And this same flower that smiles today,

Tomorrow will be dying.

Poem by Robert Herrick.


2012.  Here we come :)


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