Soul Beauty
Jean’s Coral Rose—photo by Susan Izard
Dear Soul Friends,
About ten years ago, I planted a coral rose in honor of my mother-in-law. It was her favorite rose. The other day, the first glorious coral rose bloomed in my driveway garden. It was exciting to see how many blossoms were budding around it and I looked forward to having enough of them to fill a favorite vase one last time before our move. The following morning, I eagerly went out to cut the bouquet only to discover that a deer had eaten every one of the coral rose buds. It made me mad and sad until I remembered that my mother-in-law called me one June day before her move to her retirement center. The deer had eaten all her roses just before she was about to cut them. After years of tending a spectacular rose garden, she was ready to stop. At least I got one last photo.
Planting roses in honor of someone has become a family tradition. I was six months old when my parents moved into our family home of many years. The previous owner tearfully asked my mother to tend a rose bush planted in honor of her son. He had been a Navy Pilot and shot down and killed during WWII.
My mother grew up in a military family and had many memories of caring for her Victory Garden during the war. Her father had been a General and my father a Lieutenant and Forward Observer in the Battle of Bulge. Captured by the Germans, he barely survived prison camp. Tending to the rose became a lifelong project for my mother.
Every June, no matter where I lived, my mother never missed the chance to tell me the rose had bloomed. When she moved to her retirement home, we carefully dug up the rose and gave it to a master gardener who placed it in her own thriving garden. It was lovely to drive by our old house the other day and discover the new owners had planted many roses along the driveway. To share the tradition with my grandchildren, I will be planting a rose in honor of my mother and another coral rose in honor of my mother-in-law in my new garden.
Roses have always been a symbol of the soul. Our souls are like an interior rose. The more we tend to them, the more they blossom. Listening for our soul’s beauty and wisdom is the food our souls need to be present to us. Consider noticing the beauty of creation. It is a window into our soul’s desire. It will show you delight and glory. It will remind you of joy and laughter. It will invite you to reflection and contemplation.
The great mystic Rumi said,
Come out here where the roses have opened.
Let soul and world meet.
As you journey through your week, may your soul be touched by beauty. May you be delighted by a blooming rose, or a laughing child, or a bee hovering above a Shasta daisy nurtured by nectar, and may you know that your soul shines in our world as a source of loving kindness.
Deep peace to you,
Susan
