Rosebuds

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.

I couldn't agree more with Robert Herrick for Old Time just flew by this year and I can't quite believe 2007 is almost at a close.

There have been so many rosebuds that came into full flower this year that my life has been one fragrance fest. after another. I have been enveloped in bouquets of velvety soft petals of the sweetest perfume.

Gifts from the Father that I hope have benefitted those around me as well.

Of course there have been times I've been bogged down by petty worries and just swept along the frenzied pace of life in Singapore, but this has also been a year where I have learnt to create sacred spaces to get to know the most important man in life, someone I have grown to depend on for strength, comfort, advice, affirmation and just your basic but essential TLC.

The year 2007 is most significant for He revealed a promise He made to me two years ago and this revelation was the mother of all a-ha moments.

I give thanks for it every day and I hope I never lose the awe I feel over this simple gift.

The Japanese celebrate each spring with hanami, flower viewing, for they pretty much have the same idea as Herrick.

The brief lives of the beautiful cheery blossoms reflect the transience of life which in itself has a beauty that is ephemeral and thus must be celebrated as it is experienced.

Just as all the good things in life are celebrated, so must the not-so-good things like loss and suffering, unalterable facts of life.

For without the bitter, how can we experience the sweet?

Therefore the trick is not to be soured by bad experiences, but to allow each new day to bring fresh possibilities of healing and pain-wrought wisdom, untried opportunities to live and love.

Through thick and thin, good and bad, luxuriate in each and every experience.

So don't forget to smell the rosebuds as you gather them. In deep appreciation and gratitude.