The Gift of the Thorns
I have always loved roses. When my father passed away several years ago, I planted a rose in my yard to memorialize his transition. My mom who is also deceased used to wear perfume called "Roses, Roses". I absolutely hated the intensity of the scent but roses has been symbolic of something precious in my life for many years. Once I became a mother myself, I will periodically send roses to my daughter "just because". I don't think I ever completely explained to her the significance of roses to me - she was just delighted that the bouquet arrived for her with a carefully penned note from me attached! The richness of the smell has always intrigued me. It is not uncommon for me to ask men who grace my life - "Have you purchased a rose for your loved one today"? Inside, I am believing that the recipient of the rose will have the heightened feeling of glee that I do when I receive roses.
Each color of the rose symbolizes certain value.
~ Red rose is a symbol of love,
~ Yellow of friendship,
~ Orange of enthusiasm,
~ White of purity and pink of joy.
Each color has significance but the rainbow of roses is magical (to me) - be they received or purchased individually or collectively.... I LOVE ROSES! :-)
The gift of the rose is one thing but you have to watch out for the thorns. Independent of the opulent beauty of the rose, there is that thorn. Can't get around it. When you cut the stems for appropriate presentation in a vase, you gotta watch out for the thorns. If the rose is handled to hastily or carelessly, you will say "OUCH". When I receive or purchase roses, it is difficult for me to not want them to last forever. Obviously, the aromatic bouquet is not designed to live forever, but I visit the roses daily and awaken to the scent with glee. Once the petals begin to fall off, I gently whisk them gently into my hand and on occasion, I have placed the petals on top of my bath water. It is not unusual for me to keep the petals until time requires that we must depart.
The thorns begin to decay in time as well. The intensity of the "sting" will decline over time - but the thorn has a lasting power and life-cycle beyond the opulent and vivid color rose Do I hate the thorn? NO. The thorn is part of the gift. I must accept the thron with the same welcoming aura that I do for the rose. I handle the thorn carefully and rather gingerly to avoid the "OUCH" factor - I handle the rose with care to preserve its presence.
Similarly, we are gifted with life. Live can be just like the thorn. Life just hurts sometime. Thing is - attached to the thorns of life are roses disguised as children, careers, friends and extended family for instance. The people that are in our lives "hurt" us sometimes don't they? ... we cannot "throw" them away, though. Just as the thorns that adorn each rose - we must carefully navigate where the thorn is to avoid the "OUCH". People do not always hurt us intentionally (although some do). Consider the offense as a thorn. It hurt for a minute but if you readjust their placement in your life - as you would turn the thrn away from your hand in order to appreciate the rose - a simple misunderstanding could be handled with a simple readjustment. Perhaps "they" had a brush with a thorn in their lives that you know nothing about. Maybe we discard the gift of these people and not savor the "rose" that they are.
Life is so short. When you have children it is easier to really see just how fast "time flies. One day you are changing diapers and then you are teaching them how to drive the car. One day your children are painting rainbows and before you know it they are looking for a job. One day they are asking you "where do children come from" then you are holding their hand as they enter the world of being a parent themselves.
The gift of the thorn is knowing that attached to something incredibly good can be something equally as bad. It is all about perspective and how we look at things. My perception is my reality. I have chosen to calm down a bit. After many years and many tears - I am "learning" what things are most important to me. I have begun to embrace boundaries around my life as a also learn how to "trust" again. When you have been devastated by "thorns" over a period of time - it is difficult to even see the rose - much less appreciate them. I am "finally" at a place where I am taking a step back from issues and seek to realign myself to the truth of the matters versus the emotional thrust that "something hurt my feelings". Was it just a "thorn" or was it something to pivot me into a new way of thinking? Was I supposed to learn something out of this "thorn" situation? I now vehemently look for the ROSE. Life is all about "CHOICES". How long does one carry a torch of anger over a "thorn" when the "rose" could be dyig. How dare we lose the opportunity to savor the aroma of the good people in our lives because of an offense disguised as a "thorn". Seems we throw people away too quickly. Grant it, there ARE some instances where you need to put emotional distance between yourself and a person or situation that has become the "thorn" in your life. In short - I guess I am saying - savor the rose and discard the thorn.
The "thorns" in my life have unequivocally helped me to grow. Just like your mom said when you were young "don't touch that stove, it is hot". Our curiosity with have us to sachet to the very stove and touch it anyway. "OUCH! Thing is - you never have to ask me to NOT touch that stove again. Perhaps the "thorn" was teaching you (or me) how to handle a similar situation - in the future. You know, history repeats itself. If you don't "pass your test" the first time - you will continue to repeat the pattern until you get it right.
Savor the beauty of every moment. Take a deep breath and inhale all of the elements of the roses in your life. Touch the intricately designed petals on the face of the people you meet. God does all things well.
Learning to recognize that not every day is a good day "a rose". Some days are like sharp prickly spikes or "thorns". it is is all about how you look at it. Are we wasting our lives so concerned about the thorn that we forget to embrace the rose?
Regard no man after the flesh.
There is a gift in every rose.
There is a gift in every thorn.
Embrace their value .... equally.
Each color of the rose symbolizes certain value.
~ Red rose is a symbol of love,
~ Yellow of friendship,
~ Orange of enthusiasm,
~ White of purity and pink of joy.
Each color has significance but the rainbow of roses is magical (to me) - be they received or purchased individually or collectively.... I LOVE ROSES! :-)
The gift of the rose is one thing but you have to watch out for the thorns. Independent of the opulent beauty of the rose, there is that thorn. Can't get around it. When you cut the stems for appropriate presentation in a vase, you gotta watch out for the thorns. If the rose is handled to hastily or carelessly, you will say "OUCH". When I receive or purchase roses, it is difficult for me to not want them to last forever. Obviously, the aromatic bouquet is not designed to live forever, but I visit the roses daily and awaken to the scent with glee. Once the petals begin to fall off, I gently whisk them gently into my hand and on occasion, I have placed the petals on top of my bath water. It is not unusual for me to keep the petals until time requires that we must depart.
The thorns begin to decay in time as well. The intensity of the "sting" will decline over time - but the thorn has a lasting power and life-cycle beyond the opulent and vivid color rose Do I hate the thorn? NO. The thorn is part of the gift. I must accept the thron with the same welcoming aura that I do for the rose. I handle the thorn carefully and rather gingerly to avoid the "OUCH" factor - I handle the rose with care to preserve its presence.
Similarly, we are gifted with life. Live can be just like the thorn. Life just hurts sometime. Thing is - attached to the thorns of life are roses disguised as children, careers, friends and extended family for instance. The people that are in our lives "hurt" us sometimes don't they? ... we cannot "throw" them away, though. Just as the thorns that adorn each rose - we must carefully navigate where the thorn is to avoid the "OUCH". People do not always hurt us intentionally (although some do). Consider the offense as a thorn. It hurt for a minute but if you readjust their placement in your life - as you would turn the thrn away from your hand in order to appreciate the rose - a simple misunderstanding could be handled with a simple readjustment. Perhaps "they" had a brush with a thorn in their lives that you know nothing about. Maybe we discard the gift of these people and not savor the "rose" that they are.
Life is so short. When you have children it is easier to really see just how fast "time flies. One day you are changing diapers and then you are teaching them how to drive the car. One day your children are painting rainbows and before you know it they are looking for a job. One day they are asking you "where do children come from" then you are holding their hand as they enter the world of being a parent themselves.
The gift of the thorn is knowing that attached to something incredibly good can be something equally as bad. It is all about perspective and how we look at things. My perception is my reality. I have chosen to calm down a bit. After many years and many tears - I am "learning" what things are most important to me. I have begun to embrace boundaries around my life as a also learn how to "trust" again. When you have been devastated by "thorns" over a period of time - it is difficult to even see the rose - much less appreciate them. I am "finally" at a place where I am taking a step back from issues and seek to realign myself to the truth of the matters versus the emotional thrust that "something hurt my feelings". Was it just a "thorn" or was it something to pivot me into a new way of thinking? Was I supposed to learn something out of this "thorn" situation? I now vehemently look for the ROSE. Life is all about "CHOICES". How long does one carry a torch of anger over a "thorn" when the "rose" could be dyig. How dare we lose the opportunity to savor the aroma of the good people in our lives because of an offense disguised as a "thorn". Seems we throw people away too quickly. Grant it, there ARE some instances where you need to put emotional distance between yourself and a person or situation that has become the "thorn" in your life. In short - I guess I am saying - savor the rose and discard the thorn.
The "thorns" in my life have unequivocally helped me to grow. Just like your mom said when you were young "don't touch that stove, it is hot". Our curiosity with have us to sachet to the very stove and touch it anyway. "OUCH! Thing is - you never have to ask me to NOT touch that stove again. Perhaps the "thorn" was teaching you (or me) how to handle a similar situation - in the future. You know, history repeats itself. If you don't "pass your test" the first time - you will continue to repeat the pattern until you get it right.
Savor the beauty of every moment. Take a deep breath and inhale all of the elements of the roses in your life. Touch the intricately designed petals on the face of the people you meet. God does all things well.
Learning to recognize that not every day is a good day "a rose". Some days are like sharp prickly spikes or "thorns". it is is all about how you look at it. Are we wasting our lives so concerned about the thorn that we forget to embrace the rose?
Regard no man after the flesh.
There is a gift in every rose.
There is a gift in every thorn.
Embrace their value .... equally.
Wow! This Gift Of Thorns reading hit home for me. Being severely handicap like I am, I need a lot of assistance. Thus, I have to have my mom, or my rose, help me do most of my daily necessities. Since we are always around each other- only being apart at bed time; so we often get on each others' nerves. (First, let me point out that my mom stayed with me by herself, while I was in a rehab hospital for a year, back when I was 16 years old &and had been nearly killed in car crash.)
ReplyDeleteToday, I am 41, but because my handicap is permanent, I still need just about around the clock assistance. A couple of days ago, we were having company come over.. My mom and I both had to get ready at the same time, in order to have our company over. I was blow drying my hair, while mom was putting on her make up. Well, I couldn't reach the back of my long hair to blow dry it, so I asked her to do it for me. Now, mom was nowhere near being ready, since she still had her own hair to do, because she had spent the morning helping me with my bath and washing my hair. So, frustrated she put down her makeup to dry the back of my hair, which was out of my reach. Well, when we got my hair dried, she went back to putting on her make up. The phone rang, causing her to once again have to stop getting ready, so she could answer it. After a few minutes, she was off the phone and started once again on her makeup. By now, I had begun to start to put my makeup on too. (I may be handicap, but nothing is going to keep me from putting on my make up.) So, there mom was at one end of the vanity, while I was at the other. While I was putting on my make up, I accidentally dropped some on my clothes, which meant I had to change pants. Frustrated, mom snapped at me asking me why did I have to make her life so miserable! Not believing she had actually said that to me, even if it was true,; my eyes got as big as saucers, while my heart sank. With a look of complete shock, while trying not to cry, I told my mom that I couldn't believe that she actually said that, cause it hurt my feelings more than anyone had ever before. I went on to tell her that because she didn't unplug the machine I was on in the hospital is why I made her life so miserable. (Cause she knew by letting me live I'd need constant help;.) Then, there was a long pause, as if she was literally eating her words. She started sniffling, fighting from crying too; ten she told me to look in her eyes. I did, and she told me that what she said came out wrong. (I think she was just as shocked that she said it; as I was to hear it.) She reassured me that she'd never wish for 1 second that I were dead, and she'd never regret not letting doctors unplug my life support machine. She tried to tell me what she meant to say, cept this time carefully choosing her words. She explained that what she meant was that she needed her own time to get ready, but it seemed like whenever she had a chance something interrupted. Even though her words poked me like a thorn, I knew/ know my mom is a rose, so I didn't say anything else, since I knew it was her frustration talking.