A garden reminder

A new house means a new garden and some plants that I'm not very familiar with, but am enjoying getting to know. We moved into this home about a year ago, and this spring I am finally having the opportunity to work on the surrounding gardens (not a lot, but enough to have some fun!). They've got a great start, but there's room for more! Fortunately, my mom knows what plants are in these gardens (she should, she planted most of them) and has walked me through to show me what is what.

There is one floweirng plant that is pretty prolific along the sides of the house which I'd never seen before, though was familiar with its name - columbine. My familiarity with its name is certainly not from the plant, but from the high school in Littleton, Colorado, that burst into the naton's consciousness a handful of years ago after that devastating tragedy. I suppose this beautiful plant was the source of the school's name.

Over the last week or so, as I look at these lovely flowering plants and work around them, the association has struck me as sad. They really are beautiful, graceful, fine. Ours have pink flowers. It's been a bit distressing to look at these flowers and think of that tragedy. This morning, at a Bible study group I've been attending, a friend brought up the columbines (She's got lots in her garden and was the source for these in ours.) and said that she hasn't been able to look at them the same since the Columbine High School shootings. To hear her say this out loud and to realize that I'd been feeling the same way, really woke me up. This sad thought couldn't be right, couldn't have its source in such a lovely plant.

After I got home and sat down for some more quiet prayer time, I thought further about this issue. I know that God made this plant as He did all plants, and so they must be good and really can only inspire good - in thought or deed. So it just doesn't feel right that something of His creation can cause me or anyone to feel sad or down in any way. How could I turn this around?

Then I realized what I need to do - I need to use that plant as a reminder to pray, especially for children, schools, education, etc. And that's what I've been doing since when I'm outside doing some garden work. When I look at the columbine plants, I take a moment (or a few moments) to pray to really know that God is caring for all of His children, wherever they are - at home, school, on the playground. Or for our schools and school systems, that they are a safe, nurturing environment, effective in their efforts to educate our communities children and teens. Whatever I feel inspired to pray and ponder. And I know that, as I am blessed by having these beautiful flowers in my garden, my prayers are in some way blessing children and schools everywhere.

• Here's a passage from Science and Health that I really love - so poetic! It relates to this idea. Page 240:1
  
  "Nature voices natural, spiritual law and divine Love, but human belief misinterprets nature. Arctic regions, sunny tropics, giant hills, winged winds, mighty billows, verdant vales, festive flowers, and glorious heavens, — all point to Mind, the spiritual intelligence they reflect. The floral apostles are hieroglyphs of Deity. Suns and planets teach grand lessons. The stars make night beautiful, and the leaflet turns naturally towards the light."