The Rose (Day 3 From Cleansing Thoughts)

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                    I continued to work in the garden for what seemed to be a very long time before the drawing of the flowers interrupted my thoughts again. My heart met with a large full-bloomed red rose called Chrysler Imperial. The red was so deep you could lose yourself in its beauty, and the fragrance brought a smile to my face with memories of my mother-in-law. This was one of her favorite roses. Mom felt the beauty of a rose was in the giving, so I decided to cut this one and give it away. My mind filled with wonderful memories of her, and I felt like she was there with me, if only for a moment, reminding me that I would see her again someday. As I continued to work, I could imagine her rending God's roses and sharing their beauty with the one who had created them.


                    The next bush, the Peace Rose, my thoughts turned to my grandfather. Maybe because it wasn't until his later years that he found the peace in life that only the Lord could bring. This vibrant rose is mostly yellow, which reminded me of life, and has a reddish color running through it, that reminded me that the Lord is the resurrection and the Life. I guess that is why I thought it strange that it was the only bush in the garden with only one rose on it. like most little girls, one of my favorite persons in the whole world was my grandfather, and I have many wonderful memories of times we shared together. My last memory of him was in the hospital before he died. A smile came over his face, and he reached out as if he was taking someone's hand. I will never forget the expression on his face, one of complete and total peace. Something came over me, and suddenly, in my heart, I knew he had seen the Lord and my father standing beside him. How wonderful their reunion must have been! As I reached out to touch the rose, some pedals fell into my hand, while the others fell to the ground, but my heart was full of joy because I knew, just like my grandfather, the bush would bloom again.








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