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 :)
-------
