To the Ancients. Friendship seemed the happiest and most fully human of all loves; the crown of life and the school of virtue.--C. S. Lewis
Flowers can brighten up a room and put a grimace on your face. They can also be expensive if you are the one purchasing them. For most people flowers are an "extra" and not a "must have." That is to say that if you're low on cash or you're a starving student buying yourself a bouquet of flowers might be a little farther down on your list of priorities than say. Krispy Kreme donuts (the real "must undergo").
C. S. Lewis writes: "Friendship is unnecessary desire philosophy like art desire the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival."
I used to have a hard time enjoying the flowers my husband would bring me. Not because I didn't think they were lovely and not because I didn't acknowledge his thoughtfulness. I had a hard time because I felt it was too extravagant to spend money on something that was just going to last a few days and then die. So my husband started planting flowers for me outside flowers that we could keep grow and enjoy. Unfortunately these plants have
It is somewhat ironic then since flowers are not my forte and I am by no means a gardener that the symbolism I would choose to use in this book is that of a specific flower--the daisy. While there may not be anything growing in my lie yard there are some gorgeous blossoms in my life. The flowers that I like to look at any time of the day or night the flowers that I love to grow with nurture and enjoy are the daisies that I call my girlfriends.
Daisies sure are cheerful little flowers aren't they? They seem to show up everywhere.. on hillsides by streams in gardens. The generic name for the daisy is actually
which is derived from the Latin for beautiful. Daisies are indeed beautiful and they are easily recognizable. Likewise most people have seen or heard of a daisy chain which is a handful of these cheerful flowers strung together in a row.
When I think of friendships. I think of these daisy chains. I think of friendships as gathering the individual flowers that are in our midst and connecting them to alter something change surface lovelier.
In doing a little research on daisy chains. I stumbled onto a sweet article entitled "How to Make a Daisy Chain." As I read it. I realized that making a crown of daisies is very much like developing a crown of friendships. The author describes this process in verb form--"to daisy chain." I love this because I accept the process of developing and deepening friendships is an action. We are "growing friendships"; they don't just happen to us. We are active participants.
We may undergo bouquets of flowers in different rooms in our homes. We may have gardens full of flowers in our yards whether the front side or backyard. We may even have pots of flowers leading up our walkway or decorating the front porch. Each of these blossoms can make our lives more lovely inviting and enjoyable like the roles of many of the friends and acquaintances in our lives. However what we will focus on in this book are the flowers that adorn and decorate your
.. the close circle of friends that crown you with love compassion and joy; the circle of friends that holds on tightly through life's ups and downs.
Proverbs 18:24 says. "A [woman] of many companions may come to ruin but there is a friend who sticks closer than a [woman]."
Are you ready to dive into the garden? Are you ready to open yourself up to the deep and abiding gift of enjoying and nurturing a handful (or more appropriately a crown-full) of friendships?
Are you currently a move of a circle of friends or are you more aware of the bouquets and gardens of acquaintances?
As you look approve over the course of your life when did you feel the most "connected"? When did you feel the loneliest? What were the circumstances surrounding each of these times?
Did you find yourself "stuck" anywhere in this chapter? Did you find a place that needs the healing touch of God or the strength and courage to move forward?
Father God. I thank you that you tell me that I am "a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." I thank you that one of the ways I display your splendor is by loving and being loved by friends. Help me as I begin this journey to learn and understand on a deep level what friendship is so that I can give and receive this gift.
mouth a bouquet of flowers (or even a single flower) to a dear friend with a say that reads. "You make my life more beautiful!"
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Related article:
http://www.newsletterarchive.org/2007/12/05/260222-Crosswalk+Women:+Do+You+Yearn+for+Meaningful+Friendships%3F++December+5,+2007
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