by Kelly
I beg your pardon, I
never promised you a rose garden.
Along with the
sunshine, there's gotta be a little rain sometime. ~Joe South
These were the song lyrics I was singing in my head when I
cut off all the flowers on my David Austin roses.
The previous week’s storms had really done a number on my
roses. Between the high winds and
torrential rain, all of the roses that were in bloom were reduced to stubs...a
carpet of rose petal confetti was all that was left. And then, on the buds that were about to
open, it seemed as if the petals had been glued together so the blooms couldn’t
fully expand. And those that did manage
to open were really sad looking. ‘Bedraggled’
as my mom would say.
With another round of storms and heavy rains in the
forecast, I decided to cut any of the remaining buds and blooms and bring them
inside. Which in hindsight was a pretty good idea if I do say so myself. Felt like I was totally winning at life with
that decision.
As I was playing around and photographing my roses, I got to
thinking how silly it was to be annoyed with the rain. First of all, I have zero control of the weather, so really…what
good does it do.
Then secondly, as someone who lives in a state that has been
suffering from some degree of drought for the past several years, the rain is actually
a really good thing. Barring the damage
from flood waters of course, farmers are reporting that their ponds are full
for the first time in years. Rivers and
lakes that have been below normal levels are now overflowing.
Obviously, floods have devastating effects and I am not minimizing
or romanticizing the damage or the suffering that those affected are having to
endure. What I am suggesting, however,
is that what is minor annoyance or frustration for me might be beneficial to
someone else. That it’s not always about
me.
I am embarrassed at how often I have to be reminded of this.
As I sit here typing this post, the second round of storms
have passed through my areas. The strong
winds that often come in behind these storms is starting to dry things out a
bit. And my roses are strong and green
and covered in tiny little buds.
So smile for a while
and let's be jolly, love shouldn't be so melancholy,
Come along and share
the good times while we can.
Until next time,
Kelly