Mary's Heartbeats

Picking the newest blossom from the bush, I saw that the rose was full, yet not completely open.  Pink edges were tightly bound in the center of the bud and soft petals framed around it were just beginning to unfold.  The rose wore the morning dew and brought to me the sweetest scent.  Yes, it would be the one to grace our dining table for lunch.  Then I found myself wondering out loud, am I the rose or the weed? Roses are so inviting, their beauty beckons you to come and view them close.  Their aroma pulls you right up to them, to deeply breathe their fragrance.  Each day they give you another picture as they effortlessly open and burst with blossom.  Mmm, I wonder if I have that same attraction?  Does my heart give off an aroma in which others want to be around me? Or am I like that pesky weed that just shows up in places of its selfish whims, always trying to outgrow the plant? A rose is such a paradox, for its beauty rests upon a thorny...

"I'm so glad to see you again," she gushed. "I've wanted to get back here sooner, to tell you thank you for pursuing that MRI for me."  Tears began to well up in her eyes, and I found my own beginning to mist up too.  I hadn't seen her in over a year, but I had read over her past notes and realized her absence had been because of having breast cancer.  But here she was before me, radiant and perky.  Her hair loss was covered with an orange bandanna, and her smile contained good news that with chemo her cancer now was gone.  Yes, there would still be surgery to face, but there was hope with the illness found so soon. . .  It's been a hard week for me, sometimes I feel so overwhelmed as I go from door to door. Behind each one is the life story of a person in need.  Not everyone can express their needs directly, as often they lie woven in descriptions of surrounding events.  I find myself keenly listening and sorting through, attempting to clar...

"Why are you messing around with that ol' weed?" my husband yelled out from the backyard patio door.  "It's not a weed," I muttered softly under my breath.  It's the unexpected Saliva that arrived smack dab in the middle of my herbal garden.  It has continued to grow and thrive, bringing a few more smaller stalks with it.  I am discovering that the unexpected and uninvited brings to me much joy.  Not unlike the surprise that greeted me in my vegetable garden.  Just when I was ready to dig up all the summer fare that had such dismal produce, right before me was my pepper plant now bursting forth with fruit.  Just when I'm ready to give up, the plant decides to thrive! Yesterday, while pedaling up the hill, I found myself singing "Open my eyes to Your heart, Lord."  The real song is titled "Open the Eyes of My Heart."  As I kept riding, I realized that my eyes have been seeing life in a new way.  Yes, we have to have an open hea...