Consider the Lilies
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin ~ Matthew 6:28
~
It’s unclear what kind of lilies the bible verse references but I like to imagine lily-of-the-valley, those dear bell-shaped blooms that are celebrated on May 1st in France and all of Europe. Here, May 1st was considered May Basket Day and I remember the small baskets we made of colorful crepe paper that we hung excitedly on our neighbors’ doorknobs.
~
I do, however, know what the bible is imparting to us -we should be more like the lilies…who fret-not about frantic working, busyness, worrying, and pacing to and fro. The lily simply IS. It waits in all its loveliness and quietude to be discovered under fresh new greenery at the side of the road on a spring stroll, swaying in the breeze on a hillside, or to quietly rest beside our front doors.
~
I am considering the lily right now. There is little need for frantic housework in my small house. I could do some yardwork to be sure, and I will as soon as it stops raining and the temperature increases. I could sort though old photographs but I don’t feel much like revisiting the past right now. Can I just be? Like the lily??? Permission granted…
~
Instead, I am reading, taking one long walk a day, napping, indulging in lavender baths – sometimes in the middle of the afternoon. I’m cooking too. To keep myself motivated to make a nicely-prepared dinner every night, I’m setting the table in the morning. This reminds me that I simply cannot waste a pretty tableau to skip dinner or order take-out. Tea is always a part of my day but I am also having a tea cup-full of dark chocolate ice cream in the evening and employing my favorite sterling silver spoon, gifted to me by a dear friend who knows I am still collecting my grandmother’s silver pattern.
~
So, I have lost my job and may now be officially retired. My daughter is seven months pregnant and may give birth without her husband by her side, and my mother, who has been very ill this year, is at home quarantining alone (and doing better by the way). I have plenty of concerns but I am choosing to be like the lily right now…hovering, bending, awake, alive and aware…silent but with a listening heart…and waiting with as much beauty and self-possession as can be mustered in its own scented sweet spot.
~
Consider the lilies…
~
(Who can resist a lily-of-the-valley brooch?)
~
Consider the lilies,
Ye sons of despair;
Consider the lilies,
Ye daughters of care,
And from them instruction receive:
Though fragile and feeble,
Yet, see how they grow,
“They toil not, they spin not,”
Nor care do they know,
But, kept by their Maker, they liveConsider the lilies!
To them ever give
Attention and study—
They’ll teach you to live,
The secret of peace they will show;
Then, ye from distresses
And cares shall be free,
Like them ye shall flourish,
Though lowly ye be,
Like them, ye in vigor shall grow ~ Peter Burn
8 Comments
Elizabeth
So sorry about the job loss…my hubby has been retired a few years…and here we are in a 55+ apt…and the lovely owner raised the rent $90 a month…of course, not a native born American…so maybe he has no idea how greedy he appears…and it is a worry. I am looking online for now…even though not keen on moving. I think many of us are in one kind of worry or another.
Loved your writing here…and you know I am certain I came across some perfume made from that lovely flower. I also am cooking more…working on more recipes for my someday cookbook…and of course, that includes Chocolate…which tis a nice feel good thing right now…
D. A. Squires
Such beauty in flowers…and lily of the valley are special… they are tender and sweet and reminiscent of a more innocent time… and the fragrance is sparkling. I miss seeing them in Florida, but the gardenia bushes are some compensation for the beauties we left behind in CT…peonies, lilacs, hydrangeas…
Being of a certain age, I am keenly aware of the vulnerability to job loss in the current environment… it’s so strange, because as old as I am, I can still vividly remember my first retail job in a posh shop in Westport, CT at age 15 with ‘working papers'(!), and now, here I am, in the retirement zone… where did all the in-between years go. You are a wonderful writer, and perhaps writing another book, or two, awaits. I am (very) slowly working on the sequel to The Time Seekers…it is what I love working on the most.
So, here’s to the flowers…the entire floral orchestra that gives us so much beauty and comfort in our lives.
Debbie
Donna Nance
Lovely post…I love your writings. Sorry to hear about your job but maybe Elohim has bigger things in store for you. Will be praying for your circumstances, your daughter and her soon-to-be-born baby and your mother. Patience is key…our timing is not the same as His.
Joan
You are taking good care of yourself and listening to your heart.
I truly enjoy your posts and wish you well.
Janet
Thank you for sharing today. It meant so much. Have a wonderful day, I’ll be thinking of you.
Ann Yawornitsky
What beautiful thoughts ! Continued good health to your mother, prayers for your daughter, and wishes for whatever is best for you in the future. Retirement is wonderful…and when I first retired I was in a “TO DO ” mode all the time, but like you, this isolation has me doing the same as you….reading so much and loving it, napping without thinking I should be doing something, making a lovely dinner and today setting up on the screen porch to eat and enjoy the May day and bird song. Sending you blessings and wishes for good health and peace!
Tracy H
Sorry your job is done and not by your choice, on your terms. This must be extremely disappointing. I have a feeling you will make lemonade of this after a little more time passes.
Many blessings that a new baby is on the way and mom is feeling better. These are miracles in every season, but never more so than now.
I will think of the lilly in days to come; mine will be the calla. More solitary, but still graceful and serene.
Karen Noske
Oh, how precious and what a lovely thought. To wait, patiently, for our time to bloom. This is exactly why I love you, dear friend! Thank you so much for sharing these considerations. Springtime will happen….we just have to wait. “I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my prayer…” (Psalm 40:1) ((((Hugs))))