"If you don't like the weather just hang around a little while. It WILL change." For sure. This North Carolina saying definitely came true this week.
The weather changed dramatically from snowy and cold to sunny and 70 degrees. David and I got outside one day with a wheelbarrow to do a little yard work. Sister had reminded me that it was time to prune the knock out roses. So, we cut them way back and hopefully they will grow and bloom like they did last year.
It felt good to be outside in the beautiful weather working in the yard.
Unlike most species of roses, Knock Out Roses are super hardy and easy to care for. As Sister says, "They thrive on neglect."
Another plant that thrives in any situation is Rosemary. Our rosemary bushes were just as happy with snow all over them as they are when it is hot and dry. Rosemary is a really versatile plant to use in cooking and in flower arrangments. In cooking, rosemary is especially good with roasted pork, poultry and vegetables so I usually throw a sprig or two in when I am roasting something in the oven.
In flower arrangments, I stick Rosemary in most everything. It is always handy since it grows year round at the kitchen door and it always seems to fit in. Last week, I put three sprigs in a Japanese Ikebana vase. Ikebana is an interesting form of flower arranging that was developed by Buddhist monks centuries ago.
Besides cooking and flower arrangements, Rosemary makes me remember people; past and present. Rosemary is a symbol of remembrance showing up in literature in ancient, medieval and recent times.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare has Ophelia say, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember..."
This past week we prayed and loved and we remembered a sweet, young, talent whose life ended tragically and abruptly. How fragile life is. And how hard to deal with the reality that we are spiritual beings living in a physical world.
On Valentine's Day, I heard someone say that there are two parts to the human heart - the mechanical heart that beats and the spiritual heart that feels emotion. This week spiritual hearts struggle.
I thought about my grandmother, Alma Harrill Hunt. Nanny lived to be 101 years old. It stands to reason that if you live to be 101 years old, you will experience most of lifes joys and sorrows. Nanny had more than her share of both, but she was so peaceful and calm. She had the peace that passes all understanding.
Nanny read the Bible start to finish at least three times in her life, and she studied parts of it everyday. Once I asked her what her favorite book was and she immediately said, "I like to read Psalms. It always comforts me."
So I turned to Psalms this week and, honestly, it made me think about going to an Opera. Not just because Psalms has a lot to do with music but because, when you go to an Opera, it makes a lot more sense if you know what's going on before you get there. To get the most out of Psalms, knowing the story and the background helps a lot.
Nanny was like the songwriters in Psalms. The presence of God in her personal life made it possible for her to peacefully and calmly handle the joys and the sorrows that came her way during her 101 years.
I'll keep working on Psalms, but in the meantime the beauty and simplicity of Corinthians is comforting.
Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13)
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