I gasped. How could it be?

Yesterday morning, I stopped in my tracks when I saw this stunning hibiscus bloom the size of my head. I’ve been slowly converting my yard to include more native plants. When I learned that hibiscus shrubs are native to Northeast America, I immediately bought a small bush. When the plant arrived, I had no idea that their blooms were going to be larger than my outstretched hand.

Hibiscus bloom, the size of my head. © Kathy J. Sotak

There’s just something about flowers, isn’t there? They are a communicator of all languages – of love, of compassion, of joy. A communicator of something beyond words. What do flowers teach you? Give to you?

Eckhart Tolle describes the flower as the “window into the formless.” Consider this: about 114 million years ago, the first flower appears on the planet. This first flower marked a pivotal moment for this planet, as vegetation has existed already for millions of years. Soon, earth had exploded in fragrance, as the plant world erupted with their highest expression: the flower.

When you visit my home, you may notice I display a small vase of flowers near the center of our home. To me, this is not superfluous. It’s a daily ceremony, a visual and olfactory reminder of:

  • The doorway to my heart. Keep my heart open as I connect with the world around me. Do not let my head stand in the way to loving all of the world around me. All of it.
  • Blooming is natural. Allow myself to bloom, and release the tightly wound bud. Do not let my head stand in the way of my bloom.
  • Its ok to not bloom every day. Much inner growth occurs during the cycles where no blooms are present. Do not let my head stand in the way of acceptance.
  • Connection with spirit. God, Jesus, and their help of Angels. The flower is the highest expression of the plant. Do not let my head stand in the way of connecting with what I cannot see.
  • Sheer beauty. There is beauty in a flower as well as all that nature provides, of course. Also, don’t forget about the beauty in human inventions, by appreciation of manufacturing design and engineering feats. I allow my heart to appreciate my humanness and feel joy of beauty in physical forms.

Finally, a flower reminds me to practice gratitude for this human life. All of us are going through a collective global experience, with unique abundance and challenges ahead. Whatever is portrayed in the world around me, it’s my job to tend to my own garden and let my blooms blossom. After all, it could be a doorway to something beyond words for those around me.

Your blooms are a doorway for me, too.

I’m in much gratitude of this human experience, together, with you.