God is so good to us.

He gives us beautiful flowers to enjoy.  Is there anything sweeter than a gardenia?  I love my gardenia bush and enjoy it every summer.  

Gardenias, Magnolias, Hydrangeas, and Mimosas will always remind me of my childhood.  Isn’t this arrangement lovely?  That is only ONE of three that I have in our house right now.  I picked these last night.    

I told my husband that as long as I have those blooms in our house my Grandmother, Mom, and Dad’s memories will always be alive.   My Dad’s mom would keep gardenias in her refrigerator to help the blooms last longer.  Her food would even taste like gardenias in the summer.  

I try to keep a fresh summer arrangement in my parents home since they always decorated with them when they were healthier and able.  This week I have made them several hydrangea arrangements.  I wish I had a picture for you to enjoy.  They are the most beautiful shade of blue.

Psalm 104:34
May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD.

Do you ever wonder what the scents of heaven smell like?  One evening I was in my bed and a sweet smell that I didn’t recognize was in my room.  As soon as I noticed it, the smell quickly left.  It was fresh and sweet.

I want to be a sweet aroma to my Lord.  

Ezekiel 20:41

I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.

I want my thought life, my words, and my actions to bless Him.  Not that I’m trying to “earn” anything, because I can’t.  I just LOVE Him and want to please Him.  He has done so much for me and is so good to me.

Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Even now as my parents deal with uncertainty, God’s Hand is guiding our steps.  I have to keep reminding myself that He is in control.  He loves my parents more than I ever could.  

Here is a picture I took of my Mom in the hospital today.  You wouldn’t know what she is going through by looking at this picture.  I asked her to smile so I could show Daddy a picture of her.  He is pretty-much home bound so he hasn’t seen her since Saturday.  Doesn’t she look pretty?

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
 To everything there is a season,
      A time for every purpose under heaven:
      A time to be born,
And a time to die;
      A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
       A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
      A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
       A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
      A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
       A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
      A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
       A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
      A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
       A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
      A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
       A time to love,
And a time to hate;
      A time of war,
And a time of peace.

No matter the season, the sweetness of God and His promises are always with us.  They are YES and AMEN.  

I’m grateful for this reminder through my little gardenias:  They stand as a reminder of SEASONS.  They make me think of the sweetness that I want to reflect in my own life.  They remind me of God’s sweetness towards me.  

God bless you in whatever season you find yourself.