Cycles of Life
I woke up this morning with the Lion King song playing over in my head. Simba is saying, “I just can’t wait to be King”. I was inspired to sit and write this blog. I haven’t written in a while. As I am typing these words, a beautiful picture of a garden that I had planted in my backyard after Joshua’s murder popped up on my memory screen. I haven’t planted a garden since Matt’s death and my house plants are looking pretty sick from lack of attention. One of Matt’s friend’s, Connor, brought me a Verbena plant yesterday. I met Connor at the celebration of Matt’s life at the barn. He sent me a text about a week ago asking if he could come by to visit. The plant was a little wobbly and he said for me to handle it gently. He had picked out the plant with a friend of his who owns a flower shop. “I didn’t know which plant to get and this one just called out to me to pick it. I have no idea what it is or how to care for it.” I sat it on the counter with my other struggling house plants. As we were saying our goodbyes, we were discussing our favorite colors. He said, “Matt liked blue and my favorite color is yellow.” I said that my favorite is purple. Then I looked over and noticed the Verbena plant he brought me had beautiful little purple flowers on it. When I pointed that out, we both took note of the synchroneity of his choice. Connor is about Matts height and build, and I pointed out to him that he reminded me a little of Matt. He said that people use to call them twins and that he strives to be more like Matt. We had talked about how much we missed him and how he somehow knew that he was going to pass from this life soon. When we hugged goodbye, I closed my eyes and it felt just like Matt hugging me. I close my eyes right now, take a breath and cherish every embrace I had with both of my boys. As I sit here writing, I looked up the symbolism of Verbena flowers and here is what I found on Google:
“Verbena flowers are often associated with healing, protection, and enchantment. In Victorian times, they were believed to symbolize the power to heal both emotional and physical wounds. Verbena is used for sore throats and respiratory tract diseases, heart conditions and depression. Women use it for symptoms of menopause and irregular menstruation. Their long blooming season and nectar rich flowers make them a favorite amongst pollinators like butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.”
I think it’s time for me to start taking care of my plants again and focus on healing. I am entering a new cycle of life. I think it may be time to let go of the things that no longer serve me to make room for the things that do.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot”
Where are you in the cycle of life?