Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Inspirational Sunday

The Most Beautiful Flower:




The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down,
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!".
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight.
With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side,
And placed the flower to his nose, And declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too!.
"That's why I picked it - here, it's for you".
The weed before me was dying or dead.
not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it mid-air without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time,
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun,
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play.
Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see.
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see -
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life,
And appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose,
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose.
And smiled as I watched that young boy,
Another weed in his hand
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

" Some people complain because GOD put thorns on roses, While others praise HIM for putting roses among thorns."


--- Anonymous --- Contributed by Annice LeGrande --- Maryland

9 comments:

  1. Audrey, this is just so beautiful! There are days that having a child with Autism can way heavily upon me but it's at those moments Jonathan will share with me what others take for granted and I know I've been blessed to have him in my life. Thank you for sharing this!
    Blessings~
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful story! Thank you for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That helped me - thank you so much!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a sweet poem. Children in themselves are God's Blessings. They're so gifted when it comes to cheering a person up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can't even tell you how much I needed that right now. I am going through what is definitely the most trying time in my life so far. You wouldn't know it by reading my blog, because I try to keep things happy there and it is a personal situation regarding my family so I decided to spare my readers the gory details. There are times when it is extremely difficult for me to keep my head high, and this is coming from someone who is normally a very positive, bubbly person. I try to remind myself of the things I should be thankful for- I am still alive and healthy. I have people who care about and support me when I need it. My situation is not as bad as some of the things I know happen in this world. All of these things help me to put things into perspective, but sometimes I still just can't make myself feel better. This story really hit the spot, and the quote about the roses is something I will keep close to help me when my faith starts to falter. I'm sorry to get so sappy but this post was just so uplifting, and I thank you for it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful story! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful and inspiring! Thank you for that.

    ReplyDelete

Thank-you so much for commenting! I love to hear from you!

 

Design by Custom Blog Designs/FreeStyleMama Creations