THE PETALS THAT FALL

A flower bud offers so much hope and expectation for the potentially beautiful bloom that is to follow. We watch it gently open its petals and bask in the warm sunshine of the day. The fragrance fills the air with the aroma of life and even the night hours cannot fade its brilliant color and delicate details. But one day the petals begin to fall one by one onto the ground. Our flower begins to fade in beauty but a miracle lies within. There deep inside in the very plant that brought it to fulfillment, there lies the future growth and possibility for the following year and more breath-taking delight in new growing seasons. Well, life is so much like this flower. Babies and children truly delight us with their fresh newness and comical antics. As they search to know the world around them, they can sometimes mess up ours. They spill, fall, fight, and grow. Our eyes deceive us as we don