Just a few thoughts as I enjoy the remnants of my garden and wait for Thanksgiving Day.

During these magical sunny days, many of us are doing the fall clean up of our gardens. A few days ago, I discovered my Zinnia’s had fallen over as they stretched for water and sunlight. They looked desolate laying there on the cold ground. I gathered them into my arms, brought them in and lovingly arranged them in a vase. “There you go,” I said. “You’re warm. You’ve water.  You’re lovely.” As you can see from the picture, arranging them hadn’t been easy. In their effort to reach out, some of them had bent at unusual angles.

Now, as I sit with my computer, I’m thinking about my bouquet. At the front, four flowers stand together, grabbing most of my attention. Their full, beautiful flower heads resting together in a clump sparkle with life. For me they represent the “in group”, the popular, beautiful people. My eyes shift to the tall straight flower standing alone at the back. She reminds me of the people who seem to stand tall in every situation. They’re satisfied with who they are. They often have a leadership role in society. Also, at the back, two shorter flowers cuddle close together. Friends, strong and true. They don’t make much fuss. They’re happy to just be. And then there’s my two bent flowers. They’re a little smaller than the rest. The one on the right is holding herself at arms length from that front, popular group. She’s lifting her head high, even though she’s on the fringe of the popular crowd. She’ll be fine. Finally, my eyes slip to the little one on the left. She’s also on the outside but not at all happy about it. Her head is drooped. She really needs someone to lift her up.

It’s just a small bouquet of flowers from my garden, and yet it carries a message. It reminds me to open my eyes to the people around me, to watch out for the one who feels totally lost and alone. It says, “Don’t forget, it takes all of us to make this bouquet beautiful.”