STOP TO SMELL THE ROSES!

 

 

STOP TO SMELL THE ROSES!


This blog is all about things that inspire us.  So many times I believe we miss the very things that are right in front of us.  We get so preoccupied with life, the simple things in life are often overlooked. 

When I was young, our pastor asked my mother to take over a Sunday School class of 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade boys who no other Sunday School teacher would take as they were distracting the class! She agreed, as she could never refuse our pastor, even though she had her work cut out for her with this handful of active and a bit unruly boys. We lived close to the church, and so many Sunday mornings if the weather permitted, we would walk to church. I loved this time with my mother. I have always been a free spirit who has not much regard for time, except when I have been working ... but, I was about 8-10 at the time and was late most of the time, which just about drove my mother crazy as she was always early. So this particular morning it was just the beginning of Spring and I was total enamored with all the new activity I was viewing in nature. My favorite flowers are Spring flowers. I have never been one who loves store bought flowers that much. But, a handpicked bouquet with my favorite Spring flowers of Lilacs, Lily of the Valley, Violets, Iris, Forsythia, Tulips and such will cause me to squeal in delight! 

 

 

I was thrilled to see some of my favorite flowers beginning to bloom on the way to chuch.. chirpping delightedly to my Mother “Oh Mommy, look at the Forsythia bush starting to bloom, look at my favorite.. the hyacinth.. see the happy little daffodils, the pansies with their cute little faces, and the crocus?” My mother however, being an “A type personality, with a get it done attitude” had getting to church on time on her mind, wanting to set a good example for her "boys", and urged me strongly to hurry along. My heart was to drink in the beauty I was seeing and to stop and smell the flowers, but I obediently obeyed my mother.  My mother had told me that from the time I was just a toddler, I would try to hug everyone, and wanted to see everything up eye to eye... hahaha.. whether it be babies, or animals, birds, flowers.. I had to have one on one encounters!

                         Me greeting a sheep about 4 yrs.

 

Little did I know our pastor, Dr. Ackerman who everyone loved would be giving a sermon that morning on “Stopping to smell the Roses”. He explained about the importance of majoring on the major things in life and minoring on the minors. He said many times we get so caught up in the have to’s of life that we forget about stopping along the way to enjoy life and what God has placed in front of us to enjoy! My mother turned to me with tears in her eyes mouthing the words “I’m sorry”.  

As an adult, I realize there is a need for both getting things done decently and in order, but there also needs to be time taken along the way to stop and smell the roses.  Won't you take a minute today to be inspired by the beauty around you?  God has given us so much to enjoy!

Donsie/Donna