I have never loved flowers as a gift. They have always seemed to be an extravagance. I would rather Shann buy me a vacuum or a pair of shoes, something durable and useful. Dad rarely gave flowers when I was growing up. He liked to buy me jumper cables and car washes. As he grew older, he bought flowers more often. He had a garden with an American Flag where he planted his favorite flowers. 

This year, my love for flowers has changed dramatically. When Dad died, and many sent flowers as a gift, it was perfect. Flowers were the ideal gift for me during this time. They brought tremendous beauty in a time that felt stark and barren. They reminded me that life is a vapor—we all are here on earth for such a brief moment. They reminded me there are very few truly durable things in this life. Flowers reminded me of the ephemeral nature of our lives together. 

I am so thankful for the flowers people sent because they filled the house with reminders of the beauty of my Dad. Dad lived a truly beautiful life. He was the bouquet everyone stopped to enjoy. I will never look at flowers that same way. Ralph Waldo Emerson, born in 1803, wrote, “Flowers are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities in the world.”

 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” – Ecclesiastes 3:11

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