Painting the Sky

I painted one wall of my bedroom the blue of an Oklahoma sky. It's a deep bright blue like a summer morning. 

Bluer than a baby boy's first blanket, 
bluer than periwinkles, 
bluer than water.

It's the blue of an Eastern blue bird, only bigger and grander.

The expanse of it always makes my heart feel joyful and close to God.

I painted the other walls the green of spring.  

The green of fern and hosta.
 The green of lily pads on a pond.

The green of the first daffodil shoots. The green of the oak trees' first spring leaves.

The green of hyacinth leaves. 

The green of iris fronds. 

I added a quilt with the pink of calla lilies. 
The yellow of daffodils, 

A wonderful shade of orange,

 And soft pinks of hydrangea and peonies. 

 The white sheer curtains I chose were the white 
of a blooming fruit tree. 
 The sturdy white of dogwood blooms,

 They mysterious texture of early morning fog, 
and the bridal veil
 of Queen Anne's Lace.

The doors and window sills we painted the glossy white 
of Easter lilies and the waxen white 
of a magnolia blossom.  

The room is full of sunlight and the soft tinkling song of windchimes blowing in a soft Breeze. 
It blooms and beams the life of a prairie meadow. 
It is a room of nature with wood, sky, 
grass, flowers, visions of butterflies, 
birds, and wisps of dragonflies. 
It is a place where I can feel at home
and at peace. 
It is a sensory haven, a physical refuge.
 But Jesus is my spiritual refuge.
 My helper in times of trouble. 
My comforter when I am grieved.
 He is my strength when my heart is weak 
And my courage ebbing. He is my refuge, a safe place. 
He brings me peace.

Sepal's Job

 I love photographing flowers and the closer and I can get the better.

  Macro shots are the shots so close up that I get them by holding a magnifying glass to my short lens.

 I also love to get shots of flowers from unusual angles. 

What does the side of a bloom look like? 

  What about the underside?

I have lain on my back in a flowerbed just napping.

 No, just trying to get a glimpse (and a photo) of a blossom

 against the sunlit blue sky.

 Just trying to show how wonderful and beautiful every part of the flower is.

 A flower is like a family and the sepal like the mother. Sepals are the 

petal-colored or green sheaths that wrap around the bud of the flower. The sepal's job is to house and protect the growing bud. Gradually the sheath pulls back or is forced back as the bud develops into a bloom. Then the blossom is the beauty, the spectacular part. It is colorful and bright. The sepal meantime is supporting the weight of the blossom. The sepal spreads out like an open hand. It supports but does not grasp the bloom. The sepal connects the base of the flower to the top of the stem. Up through the stem comes water and food for the production of life in the flowers, for making pollen and growing seeds. The sepal's purpose changes. My job as mother changes. I should support my children with openness that allows growth and purpose and beauty to be attained while I help them connect to God.