We spent a melancholy weekend here, as I expect most people around the world did, heartbroken and subdued by the news and images coming out of Japan. I feel quite at a loss for any words. Andy had several days off so it was just good to be together. I woke him up and told him my dream this morning, and it was a sad dream.
We went to the plant nursery yesterday (where I took these pictures in the greenhouse with the phone) to get some flowers for the front-porch pots. It's a bit early still — only mid-March, of course, and frost is still a possibility for some time — but it just felt good to be around the flowers and the green and the smell of soil. Our big plum tree is in bloom and our yard is freckled with petals and a sweet scent. It is always the first thing to bloom every spring. We bought flowers and planted them in our pots. We went out several times late yesterday afternoon to look at them again, and again into the evening, too.
I'm sad too.
Alicia, I know exactly what you mean... I feel the same way about the last few days. It is like a sad fog of disbelief. To be here, in our safe worlds, watching a tragedy unfold is so jolting, and deeply saddening. And, truly, there are no words.
Spring brings a feeling of calm and peace, whilst my heart still wants to pray for Japan and be silent...
Love, Vanessa
ps: Your second photo, of the pink flower, is pure hope.
Looking at your flower photos is healing and comforting. I'm glad spring is coming, it instills a sense of hope even when things seem hopeless and dark.
I see you have some fritilleria - I just love those little checkered blossoms. One of nature's miracles.
There is certainly a lot of sad news in the world - both close to home and far away -- isn't there? It's so interesting how flowers can lift our spirits. Once, when there was a particularly sad event in our lives, I often found myself standing at the dining room door looking out at a whiskey barrel full of pretty softly colorful flowers. It was soothing in some inexplicable way.
The hope of spring -- warmer, sunny days and plants and flowers coming back to life -- definitely will be needed this year. Nature has a way of sending us hope--even in the advent of so much natural destruction...
I couldn't agree more about the sadness and reflection. And the renewal that spring brings. Let's hope it hurries to get here and carries across the ocean to Japan.
I couldn't agree more about the sadness and reflection. And the renewal that spring brings. Let's hope it hurries to get here and carries across the ocean to Japan.
true, Japan is a mindblowing tradgedy. I'm sort of still holding my breath a bit....feels, somehow, like the worst is yet to come..
A walk in a greenhouse would be a good idea, too cold in Denmark still for planting anything outside..
Thank you for this beautiful post.
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Yes, very very sad news wherever I turn to...
When I saw this post of yours...it reminded me of this quote.
"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul"-by Luther Burbank.
What are the flowers in the top photo? The ones the appear to be drooping. They're quite lovely.
what is the name of that flower that flower on the left in the first picture?! oh my goodness; it's amazing and i've never seen anything like it before!
It's hard to believe something this catastrophic has happened in Japan, and yet life goes on normally here. I feel so terribly for the people and families affected and have been praying for them since I heard. It makes me even more grateful to have my family close by me.
Those pictures are stunning! And I do the same thing when I buy/plant flowers. They look so beautiful I just can't stay away! :)
I can't watch the news, I can't read about it. It's too much. All I can do is dedicate songs to the people of Japan in my heart when I'm playing my harp at one of the many St. Patrick's Day events this week.
Nature helps. Beauty helps. It elevates us and helps us overcome.
I like to think of myself as a little bunny just burrowing myself into my little hole lately. I too am heart sick with the news images. Praying for the people of Japan and their families.
Hi Alicia... I've been sad too.. the images of the tsunami crushing villages in it's path and knowing there were people inside those homes.. and then the suffering of the survivors having lost everything and it's so cold there and food and water are scarce. I wake at night and think and worry and it just breaks my heart. Just way too much loss... ::sigh::
The hope of spring is bittersweet this year in light of what is happening in Japan right now. I feel blessed to live where I am, but it does not make my heart ache any less. Thanks for sharing a bit of nature's beauty; it is a hopeful reminder.
Your pictures are beautiful. I'm very excited for Spring.
I'm hoping that things get better soon for Japan though it feels like a rising tide. You have the best flower pictures. They make me feel a little happier inside though nothing has changed with the situation.
I know the usual ways we can help Japan... donations for one. But I feel as I did after 9/11, like I cannot manage my sorrow and profound grief. The scope of this tragedy is beyond comprehension. How do we project our sorrow, our sympathy, our compassion, and let them know they are not alone? In this modern age, I imagine some magical means of being able to embrace and comfort the population of Japan, but the reality is like waking from a sad dream.
Thank you for sharing your reflections. Do you think, in some small way, sharing our grief will help? I do feel comforted in knowing that I am not alone, because it strengthens my resolve to keep hopeful... if only we can let them know we see their sadness, and want to comfort them.
Beautiful photos! That's what we need right now... beauty.
Feel so sorry for everyone involved and for their families and friends. Defies belief.
We do indeed need to remember how lucky we are every single day and to appreciate the beauty in the world around us.
Carol xx
You have such a sensitive and caring heart --you and Andy are going to be such wonderful parents. We adopted our baby boy from Japan a few years ago and realized he was born in a hospital near the hardest hit areas. Those we know in Japan are fine, thank goodness, but we continue to pray for everyone there.
I feel lost about what's happening in the world, its soo sad, you are such a caring lovely person. Best wishes to you Alicia.
I know that the name of the top photo flower is fritillaria or Checker Lily. I wanna know what the bottom one is! I love all the little tubes the petals make...such a cool texture. Does anybody know?