Growing Season??

Some of you who have been following my blog for a while might remember that I like to work in the yard, and I have a rose garden. If not, you can check this post to see some of my spring blooms http://bowiecountyhousewife.blogspot.com/2010/04/sping-is-in-bloom.html

Roses are arguably the prettiest-best smelling flowers you can have. They have been considered a symbol of love since ancient times. Every man knows that come Anniversary, Valentines, Birthday, & Mother's Day... You can't go wrong with roses. Over they past few years I've learned something else about them, a beautiful rose bush doesn't just happen, they require a lot of work (unless you get the Knockout roses with the little single layer of petals). In order to have the big beautiful jumbo roses, you have to spray them with soapy Dawn dish soapy water, give them regular water, mulch, fertilize, weed, prune, give them fungicide, stuff to kill the bugs, and to get rid of the dreaded black spots. I don't mind all of the work because it gives me a bit of fresh air, and when they bloom they are so stunning. (I took the pictures I've posted this evening)

Everyone knows that roses bloom during the spring, but most people aren't aware that if they are tended properly they will bloom again in the summer, and they will bloom for the final time in the fall. The fall blooms are often even better than the spring ones, because if your roses bloom in the fall it is because they have been well cared for, and are without disease. The cooler weather also preserves the blooms and makes them last longer, where the spring and summer will continue to get warmer which causes the petals to "sweat" and get limp and die faster. This evening I decided to trim off the spent blooms on my bushes so they will be able to bloom one more time before the first frost.

I have had a lot on my mind this evening, and felt that I just had to get outside to think and pray for a while. Our entire church family got an e-mail today letting us know that our minister is going to step aside for an undetermined length of time to deal with some personal issues. I know that God put our family in this church 2 years ago because He has had a plan for us to be really active and reach out in this group. It is a small church, where we all know each other, so when one person succeeds we all celebrate, and when one is hurting we all hurt along with them. I guess I got it from my dad, but I'm one of those people who just has to get outdoors when something is really troubling me. I know that God is everywhere, but sometimes I just feel His presence better when I am outside. As I was clipping off bits of disease, spots, and dead blooms I felt the Lord speaking to me. I felt like He was showing me that my life is like a rose bush, and in order for me to continue to grow He has to tend to me constantly. There are a lot of times when we feel like one thing after another is being "pruned" out of our life, but I was reminded that there is a reason. Just as I know that if I don't prune my rose bushes they will not make roses and the branches will eventually dry up and cause the whole plant to die; God has to take people and things in and out of my life in order for me to continue to grow. We thought we were getting to adopt a baby girl this summer, but the birth mother changed her mind shortly before she was born. My class that I teach at the college was cut the day before the first class this fall. My mom and I quit doing art at the college (I've been painting up there for 6 years) because of some ongoing negativity that wouldn't quit. Right now I'm feeling quite "pruned," but I'm ready to bloom again.