Friends Are Flowers

"Friends are the flowers in the garden of life." That unattributed sentiment is framed and adorns a prime wall location in my cousin Jamie's house. Amid antique photos of bearded ancestors and Christmas decorations small and large, that friendly saying speaks volumes about Jamie and life.

I had the pleasure of sharing Christmas with Jamie and my cousin John, her husband. It's been a number of years since I last visited their historic home in Sonora, California, but it was as though we last said goodbye only a few weeks ago. John and I spent many memorable summers together as we learned to be young men together. I was the best man at their wedding nearly 30 years ago. Since then, and before, they have both sown many seeds of friendship and caring.

Gardening offers many parables and metaphors that help guide us through life. I enjoy growing my fruits and vegetables, but like many gardeners it is the flowers bursting into color that awakens the most vibrant emotions inside me. As with the flowers, when a new or old friend enters my day emotions spring to life. Friends are a necessary and important part of our lives. Jamie's simple metaphor accurately ties together two important aspects of my life.

John and Jamie are home gardeners and have their little plot atop a small, steep hill that overlooks their house. John told me of the great success he had this year with the addition of a new organic soil amendment. Like me they enjoy toiling in the soil and waiting patiently for the results of their labors. Their climate, soil, and plant choices are different than mine, but we all receive pleasure and satisfaction from gardening.

In life we toil and wait patiently for our rewards. We grow. How we choose to treat one another determines our path and that of those around us. When we add nutrients like sincerity, love, and caring to our relationships, we benefit from bigger and more beautiful results. We sow the seeds of friendship and enjoy the flowers that spring forth.

Jamie's wall art touched me, particularly at a time like Christmas. I'm thankful for the friends and family that grow in my garden of life. They add the color that makes it so memorable and satisfying. Like the rest of my gardening adventures, I still have many more plots to plant, many more flowers to grow. I'm looking forward to it.

Grow your garden. Sow your seeds. Enjoy your flowers. Have a good life.

"Friends are the flowers in the garden of life." That unattributed sentiment is framed and adorns a prime wall location in my cousin Jamie's house. Amid antique photos of bearded ancestors and Christmas decorations small and large, that friendly saying speaks volumes about Jamie and life.

I had the pleasure of sharing Christmas with Jamie and my cousin John, her husband. It's been a number of years since I last visited their historic home in Sonora, California, but it was as though we last said goodbye only a few weeks ago. John and I spent many memorable summers together as we learned to be young men together. I was the best man at their wedding nearly 30 years ago. Since then, and before, they have both sown many seeds of friendship and caring.

Gardening offers many parables and metaphors that help guide us through life. I enjoy growing my fruits and vegetables, but like many gardeners it is the flowers bursting into color that awakens the most vibrant emotions inside me. As with the flowers, when a new or old friend enters my day emotions spring to life. Friends are a necessary and important part of our lives. Jamie's simple metaphor accurately ties together two important aspects of my life.

John and Jamie are home gardeners and have their little plot atop a small, steep hill that overlooks their house. John told me of the great success he had this year with the addition of a new organic soil amendment. Like me they enjoy toiling in the soil and waiting patiently for the results of their labors. Their climate, soil, and plant choices are different than mine, but we all receive pleasure and satisfaction from gardening.

In life we toil and wait patiently for our rewards. We grow. How we choose to treat one another determines our path and that of those around us. When we add nutrients like sincerity, love, and caring to our relationships, we benefit from bigger and more beautiful results. We sow the seeds of friendship and enjoy the flowers that spring forth.

Jamie's wall art touched me, particularly at a time like Christmas. I'm thankful for the friends and family that grow in my garden of life. They add the color that makes it so memorable and satisfying. Like the rest of my gardening adventures, I still have many more plots to plant, many more flowers to grow. I'm looking forward to it.

Grow your garden. Sow your seeds. Enjoy your flowers. Have a good life.