I kind of like wild roses. They aren’t perfect. Wild roses can be unruly and pop up in unexpected places. They bloom where they are planted. They are alive. Sure, they have thorns. But they have beauty. They have beauty that is seen, and even if you don’t see them, their aroma can let you know that they are there and draw your eye to them. They aren’t a staged centerpiece, but a living organism that lives and blooms and dies and then lives and blooms again. Their beauty shared often makes folks feel pretty special.
Floral shop roses are beautiful and are such a gift. But me, I like the spontaneity of a run-to-the-side-of-the-road-and-give-a-gift-to-the-one-I-love-just-because kind of rose. Just because why? Just because there’s something beautiful and I want to share it with another. Yeah…thorns come with the package for sure. They do. And they hurt. Sometimes they can even make you bleed. And the roses won’t last forever…just for a short little time. But the memory can….last forever, that is. So maybe the thorns are worth what is gained. Maybe so. Hope so.
This quote has been a favorite of mine since high school…” I can complain because roses have thorns or rejoice because thorns have roses.” I had it on a poster in my room as a teenager. Then my sister painted and lettered this same quote that is now in my laundry room. i’ve read it a time or two over these past decades, that’s for sure. I’ve believed it, and tried to live it. Even when the thorns seem bigger than the flower. Blooms die and grow again…and sometimes you just don’t see the blooms, only the thorns. I’m thinking wild roses might have more thorns than the store-bought more generic type. I’m not sure, but am thinking probably so. And sometimes rose bushes need to be pruned on back… only to come back more beautiful and healthy than ever. Pruning isn’t fun…in rosebushes…or in people. But the truth is, that pruning makes things stronger if done right. If not, the whole plant can die. But if pruning is done correctly, the dead, lifeless parts of the plant that aren’t as productive give way to more life-giving shoots to pop up….which leads to eventually…………more roses.
Funny, I read this quote just yesterday from The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Kahn. He’s talking about the ‘mazmerah” , the pruning hook. (He’s talking about pruning trees, not roses, but the principle applies.) He goes on to say that “the purpose of pruning is not to harm the tree, but just the opposite. It is to allow the tree to bear the fruit it was meant to bear. So too in your life with God. When you experience losses, they will not be for your harm. Every loss will be redeemed. Each will be used to cause you to become what you were made to become. So you’re not to dwell on what was and is yet to be brought forth. And don’t fear the mazmerah, God’s pruning hook. For it only has one purpose…that you might bear the fruit for which your life from the beginning was created to bring forth.” (The Book of Mysteries, Kahn, J., Day 181)
I’m thinking that’s a good word. For trees, for me, and for the wild rose bushes that I so adore. Even when the blooms aren’t seen, there’s hope that they’ll bloom more beautifully and be more fragrant than ever before. Oh, and reminder…when the roses are in bloom, be sure to ‘stop and smell the roses’…whenever you get the chance, because they might be here today and gone tomorrow…and you might just wish you had taken the chance while they were here. Yes, so here’s to stopping and smelling the roses, no matter how wild or unruly they may be, there’s most likely beauty to be found.
Blessings ~
Heather
“…..and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts….” Romans 5:5
soletusknow 