I rarely cut flowers from my garden, they work so hard to grow and they look so pretty outside. My Aunt Lois, a gifted green thumb was a firm believer in allowing them full life in their garden plots, I share that with her.

My Mother grew up in the dismal poverty of a large family in  the depression and while she had an eye for beauty she was careful with things.  Her thrift and improvisation allowed us a lot of nice outcomes but sometimes a bit of the spontaneity was squashed. Glistening strawberries brought inside with eager hands waiting to pop them into watering mouths were rationed to a couple for now and the rest were made for winter preserves. My Dad was another spirit, one to jump in and enjoy the gift of the moment and see what happened in the aftermath. He also grew up in the depression but on a small farm with  it would seem always enough to eat and not be in that place of deprivation that never seems to be satiated to the point of safety once experienced.

These polarized core values in parents allowed me to consider my own which have bounced between like a pendulum and landed in the middle.

One vase of garden flowers from two angles, pastels or vibrants? It is interesting to me having worked with families, and experienced family to know with absolute clarity we can all grow up in the same house with diverse experiences based on our filters. The expression, we do not see things as they are, we see as we are, is so true.

Today I have a gift day! My plans were cancelled, my body is in need of a rest day after some mishaps with my bike yesterday and so today, no bike and swim, no photo hike, but a putter in the gardens. For today a lean towards extravagance in snipping a bundle of bits and pieces. I am thinking some paint time in the afternoon, an outdoor concert in the evening, and maybe strawberries on pretty plates for a coffee break snack. I am in no mood to save the good stuff, life is fast and short and full of good things. Abundance is something that grows with gratitude and happy experiencing, it just depends on the measure of what is valuable and what is enough.  Treat yourself with kindness, give your family your company best, and one of my favorite bits of scripture, ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’

Happy Wednesday, a round for the house.