Lessons in the Garden

     A couple days ago when taking my garbage can to the street I was happily surprised to witness this amazing sunrise!  A neighbor, a few houses from me, and I both stood in silence looking at the spectacular show before us.  We waved at one another and continued enjoying the scene for a good five minutes before we both turned and went back to our homes.  This morning when I found this photo on my phone it made me wonder how many times I've sat in my house, curtains drawn, missing something so beautiful.  I have always been amazed at the world around me.  Over the years I don't think I've ever taken the beauty God poured into this world for granted.
     I remember my mother taking me into her garden when I was just a little girl.  She pointed out all the different colors of the roses in her garden.  There were red, pinks, yellows, whites, some variegated, and some all one color.  She picked one of each color and handed them to me.  When my little hand could hold not more she shared something with me I've never forgotten.  "God must love flowers" she said.  "I think he especially likes roses.  He could have made only one type of flower.  He could have made that flower in only one color.  The world could have only red roses or maybe no roses and just purple lilacs.  Instead He chose to make many types of flowers and He made them in many colors.  Yes, I think He really like flowers!"  That was the end of my little lesson for the day but it continued the next day when we talked about the different types of fish, the different types of animals, even the different kinds of nuts and foods we eat.  I remember sitting on the grass in our front yard and mom starting to sing with me, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow black and white, all are precious in His sight...Jesus loves the little children of the world."  I think her goal that week was to make me realize just how much God loved creating the world and all the many different types of everything He did make.                                                                   Mom was always a Sunday School teacher, at church and at home.  I still think of the week she spent on this lesson when I see a mixed bouquet of flowers, the feasts on our table at meal times,

and even a bowl of mixed nuts.  Mom always had time to listen, to offer a lesson, and make things easy for me to understand.