fondness for things "f"

is for

Friends * Family * Faith * Flowers * Fun * Fathers * Flavor * Freedom * Fog * Fragrance * Fudge * Fridays * Fairs and Festivals * French fries * Fall * Forgiveness * Fruit * Fireplaces * Food * Film * Family traditions

I am my mother's daughter in many ways (that's a GOOD thing!), and sharing a love for flowers is one of them. I love to be welcomed by their color in the garden when pulling into the driveway, or have my gaze backoned to the soft array they offer as I pass them while riding in the car. My camera can't resist them, and they are my favorite subject to photograph. Flowers have a way of lifting a mood or brightening a dreary day by their presence. They decorate joyful occasions and amplify existing beauty. They are the kiss of God in any moment.

Gratitude also runs deep for forgiveness. I had an experience some years ago of coming to terms with a situation that had caused me a lot of pain. In the process of reconciling myself to reality I made a choice for health and wholeness. In an extended moment of clarity touched by holiness--what is known as a kairos moment, suspended from the experience of ordinary time--I received the gift of understanding forgiveness in a way that surpasses words or explanation. I felt it in my soul, my pain was put to rest, and the torment of my conscience abated. I was touched by a kind of transcendant peace and freed of a burden I had carried for several years. It wasn't simply the awareness that I was forgiveness, but of understanding forgiveness itself. I have never been a person who carries grudges, and letting go of hurts is something I have learned to do with time and grace. This brush with spiritual renewal and its invitation to sacred wisdom (which, by the way, took place at the fireplace) had a profound impact on me. I wondered then, and wonder still, how the gift of this transformation could be put to use for the sake of God's kingdom, and to this day I have no answer for that. I have preached and taught about forgiveness, but I have not recognized any particular opportunity for such an amazing moment to have been for a purpose beyond my own healing. I accept that it is not for me to know, but still wonder. Perhaps time will tell.

**A late PS to this note is gratitude for fragrance, which is calling me to the kitchen even as I type. Breakfast by Ken is smelling fabulous!!!