For the Beauty of the Earth

The day after Easter Sunday my husband brought me some gorgeous orange tulips he picked up from this little roadside stand on his way home. Generally, I am particular to roses, which he knows, but which I had already bought myself the previous week. It is a rare treat when he buys the flowers instead of me, so I trimmed them up, stuck them in a pitcher (because really, aren't they more fun than a typical vase?!) and put them on display. The wonderful part was that I'd forgotten how fragrant tulips truly are and so anytime I walked in or out of the house, I could smell those lovely flowers wafting through the air.

Now, I know there are the naysayers out there. You know who you are. The ones who don't see much point in spending money on something that is just going to die anyway. Well, read on and see if I don't  change your mind - or maybe at the very least give you pause to think.

My favorite season always has been and always will be Autumn. The air is crisp and cool. The leaves change color and the world becomes breathtakingly beautiful to me. Not to mention, I love pulling on a sweater or nice comfy sweatshirt and going for a walk that time of year.  What does this have to do with flowers? Hold on ... I'm getting there.

The other day I saw litte buds on the trees. And, yesterday morning, I heard birds chirping outside my window. It wasn't until I heard them that I realized how long it had been since I'd last heard those birdies singing! And I couldn't help but smile.

Why you ask? Well, because they all represent something. See Autumn may be my favorite season, but Spring comes in a close second. Rebirth. New life. Beginning again. Casting off the gloomy shackles of winter and for many, depression. Spring brings HOPE. We remember our Savior and all that He has done for us and somehow we find within ourselves the ability to move forward. Or, try again. Whichever the case may be.

So, when I hear birds chirping, or see blossoms budding on trees, or smell sweet flowers I remember that He Is Risen. Hope springs eternal in my heart and I find myself wanting to bring just a piece of the Garden of Eden into my home. To dispell the wintry gloom and remind myself that tomorrow is a new day.  It makes the cost of those flowers priceless.

So, I leave you with my favorite version of For the Beauty of the Earth, performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on the Consider the Lilies CD:

For the Beauty of the Earth

The Cinderella Parable

      "Every time she'd find a minute, that's the time that they begin it - Cinderelly, Cinderelly
      She goes around in circles, till she's very, very dizzy. Still they holler: Keep a-busy Cinderelly!"

Do you ever feel like Cinderella too? I do. Sometimes I feel like my head is spinning. I can't concentrate. I can't focus. I can't hear myself think. And lately it seems to be getting worse. Certainly kids are a factor. As also may be low vitamin deficiencies and a host of other issues. Yet, I can't help but feel it is more than that.

I know all too well the challenges and pitfalls of the fast-paced world we live in. My mother once said, "for all of our modern conveniences, we have even less time than before." It is true. I have very much felt overwhelmed with the "busy-ness" of life. Life's distractions seem to be humming along at constant and increasing speed. So much so that I can't help but think of that well known phrase: run and not be weary, walk and not faint.

It got me to thinking and led me to a talk given by Neal A. Maxwell in April 1991 titled, "Lest Ye Be Wearied & Faint In Your Minds." See if this is you (definitely felt like me!):

         "To those who are spiritually undernourished, who have grown weary and fainted in their minds...who have been overcome by the preoccupying cares of the world - those wearying, surface things of life..."

The talk outlines four fundamentals in how to better gird our loins against the advesary. It's your standard stuff - and is usually why it gets forgotten: serve, study, pray and worship.

I don't know about you, but I got tired of living my life a bit like Cinderella. I've gone back to these fundamental basics and I see the difference they are making. Accordingly, I have gained a testimony that life is not meant to be rushed through. It's not meant to be stressed over, analyzed, planned to the tiniest of details. It's meant to be enjoyed. So go ... start enjoying life. I dare you. (This is the best Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo you're gonna get!!)