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Archive for the ‘Nature & Inspirational Words’ Category
I am grateful …
In Nature & Inspirational Words on November 26, 2009 at 8:47 AM
By Lisa D. Lenoir
Lists have become my new best friend. They work to keep me focused and on point with various tasks. But this organizational tool is good for helping you to see what’s not always easily apparent.
Growing up my parents used to request I do lists to help me crystallize my blessings and my dreams. My father would say, “Write down all the positives on one side and the negatives on another.” Guess what? The positive side of the list always out-ran the negative.
This Thanksgiving morning I’d thought a “I am Grateful for …” list would be in order. We need such a missive, especially since Time magazine declared the ’00s the decade from hell.
Good things did happened during those definitive times. We just need to enumerate them, put them in a safe place, pull them out and meditate on them from time to time. Here’s my list:
1. I am grateful for the Scripture a friend passed on to me: Jeremiah 29:11.
2. I am grateful for my loved ones and friends and their health and well-being. They continue to teach me about unconditional love, sacrifice, loyalty and how valuable their presence enriches my life. We fortify each other.
3. I am grateful for my business colleagues. They help me to grow where I am planted.
4. I am grateful for ever evolving wisdom and knowledge.
5. I am grateful for health in my mind, body and spirit, all being balanced by more natural foods and sunrise Pilates.
6. I am grateful for our environment and nature. They teach me lessons about life daily.
7. I am grateful I recognize how to be grateful.
May you be inspired and thankful for the rest of this decade.
Peace, Love and Hope
In Nature & Inspirational Words on September 24, 2009 at 6:30 PM
Allium Summer Bulbs courtesy of www.whiteflowerfarms.com
By Susan L. Randstrom
The Beatles wrote, ‘LOVE is all you need,’ but in these stomach-dropping times of unemployment, underemployment and other stresses, we need HOPE, too.
For a wonderful stress-reliever and agent of hope, try planting a bulb. It is the ultimate symbol of hope, wrapped into a papery brown package. It is hard to imagine now that this unassuming messenger of DNA will turn into pinwheels of color in flower form.
A short and simple recipe for hope is to and plant a whole bunch of your favorite bulbs this fall. Don’t skimp. (That would be like someone offering you one M&M.) The process of planting and believing that these little brown nuggets will turn into luscious yellows, crimsons and deep purples will be a hope generator now and next spring when you’ll be rewarded double-fold.
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock this year, ‘Flower Power’ takes on a new meaning.
FIVE STAR BULBS
Allium ‘Globemaster’ — huge purple spheres dance on 36-inch stems that bloom in June. A real show-stopper!
Tulip ‘Beauty of Spring’ — Single, 22-inch tall Darwin tulip with greenish-yellow petals that mature to pale cream with wide, reddish-orange bands. Blooms in May. SO cheery!
Tulips photo by Susan L. Randstrom
Narcissus ‘Popeye’— Double 16-inch tall Daffodil; snow-white petals surround a cluster of double, yellow petals in the center. Blooms in April. The name alone makes you laugh.
Anemone ‘Blanda’ — blue or white daisy-like flowers that are very low-growing. Bloom in mid-May and look great planted under May-blooming daffodils or tulips. Splurge and plant lots!
Anemone photo by Susan L. Randstrom
PLACES TO BUY BULBS
Bulb Bazaar and Harvest Festival at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, October 3-4. http://www.chicago-botanic.org/
For a fun way to learn about bulbs, stop by the Regenstein Center and shop at the Bulb Bazaar for spring blooming bulbs that are planted in the fall. This annual sale features more than 200 varieties of daffodils, tulips, alliums and other specialty bulbs, and a large selection of bulbs for indoor forcing.
Garden horticulturists and staff offer practical tips and demonstrations on bulb selection and planting. Public hours are from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 3-4. A catalog with detailed information on bulbs is available at the sale and can be obtained online in September at www.chicagobotanic.org/bulb.
SHOP ONLINE
White Flower Farm
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs catalog
McClure & Zimmerman catalog
Susan L. Randstrom is the former gardening columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and continues to spread the good news about all things botanical in other venues. Contact her at slrandstrom@earthlink.net for questions and comments.
My Facebook Family
In Nature & Inspirational Words on August 5, 2009 at 7:41 AMBy Lisa D. Lenoir
Yesterday The Dark Corner. Today The Light.
My morning treat is to read the News Feed on Facebook. If you friend people with thought, substance and a zeal for life, it can be a source of inspiration. Sometimes there are famous author quotes, Scriptures and other times simple greetings such as “Good Morning FB family!”
The 317-person network consists of former colleagues from around the world as well as family and long-time friends going as far back as grade school. And they have — on more than one occasion — shared life’s path with me through the power of words. They were there to mourn with me when MJ died. They were there to console when my condo ceiling caved in. And they were there to cheer me on during grad school papers and tests.
We’ve been able to form a virtual community, bringing together a web of people who’ve touched our lives professionally or socially. What a powerful concept, something unheard of a few years ago. I knew it was more when the words “social network” morphed into “FB family.”
I am proud to say they are a special group. And to show you how much so, here are a few thoughts from my network — a hump-day gift from me to you!
Lee quotes Mark Twain: “In religion and politics people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing (or much of nothing).”
Louis cites another FB friend: “God is more interested in your character than your comfort. In Happy moments, Praise God. Difficult moments, Seek God. Quiet moments, Worship God. Painful moments, Trust God. Every moment, Thank God.”
Yvonne says: “Here’s to a wonderful Wednesday!”
Nature’s Lessons
In Nature & Inspirational Words on July 30, 2009 at 8:05 AMBy Lisa D. Lenoir
This seesaw summer weather sure does keep us guessing. In Chicago, we don’t know if we need to pull out the space heater one day or crank up the air conditioner another. But nature and its demonstrations have a tendency to teach us lessons, if we choose to take notes. And as of late, there’s been a lot of notetaking on my end, based on the nuggets of wisdom doled out by Mother Earth.
Lesson No. 1: Embrace the unpredictable weather and realize it’s a metaphor for life. It, too, is unpredictable. How many thought you’d never be in the space you’re into today? Some might be working a full-time job, hoping and praying, they won’t be laid off tomorrow, or even tonight. Some might be going through a six-step interview process that keeps them guessing from day to day: Did I the get the job? And some might be wondering about how to sustain and grow their own businesses during a recession.
While we may feel uneasy, out of control, this unusual weather teaches us to be flexible, go with the flow and plan for variances. We can’t dictate or manage everything — even if the meteorologist or economist gives us the forecast.
Lesson No. 2: Savor the beauty of flower beds and watch how the petals and leaves lean toward the light. In Chicago’s Hyde Park, I cherish looking at the carpet of flowers covering different spots — the postage stamp lawn, the stone-carved flowers pots (I love ours planted by landscape designer and master gardener Lois Grimm) and the median on Drexel Avenue. Even the stunning, more groomed floral displays of Millennium Park (photo shown) captivate with their beauty. All look lush, viable during their flowering period. Their petals, reaching toward the sun, remind me to look upward and gain energy from this power source emitting Vitamin D.
Lesson No. 3: Stop, view those freeze-frame moments in nature. They tell a story. One Sunday, I noticed a robin perform an eating ceremony with a worm. There, in the middle of the grass, this survival of the fittest exchange made wonder if this worm would be tortured to death or released. The robin would grab the worm in its beak, release it, grab the worm, release it. Then finally, you guessed it. Gulp! Slithered down the whole thing. Clearly, his mother didn’t teach him not to put too much in his mouth. I won’t be belabor or discuss its meaning, for it could be a commentary on everything from only the strong survive to simply a hungry bird. But the frame provided a powerful snapshot.
I am not alone in my assessments of nature’s vignettes. Dr. Cristina N. Manabat, who serves as president of Harris Memorial College in Taytay, Rizal, Philippines harris.edu.ph recalls to me her own meditation with nature. One day she notices a rare reddish orange mushroom had sprouted amongst the carabao grass there, near its chapel. Everyone pauses and communes before worshiping to study its shape and color.
“It was really unique and it spoke strongly of God’s amazing work,” says Manabat, who was speaking recently at First United Methodist Church-The Chicago Temple chicagotemple.org about the college, known for educating deaconesses. “[The mushroom] symbolizes His awesomeness and graciousness. God is alive, touching, moving. That lone orange mushroom caught our attention to say thank you to God. This helped us to value … and watch the beautiful creation of God.”
And let us all say, Amen.
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