the Friday exhale Archives - the shine and rise

Isn’t this gorgeous?! A satiny, delicate pink rose atop a stem that seems almost too narrow to support this expanding beautiful blossom sitting on my kitchen window sill. I am grateful that it is once again blooming for me and its companion should be fully opening soon. The plant came close to withering away and dying soon after I got it, but I have been nurturing it, like a friendship, hoping that it would thrive beside my mostly sunny window.

I am also choosing to see this lovely bloom as a sign of hope, as a sign that I should never give up on my dreams. If dreams are nurtured, not neglected so that eventually they wither away, maybe they really can come true. – Maria

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Sunflowers are not my favourite flower, but these were not for me. I sent them to my daughter for her birthday and she loved them. Even though there are lots of other more delicate flowers I prefer, my eyes are irresistibly drawn to sunflowers: their height, their large size, and the vividness of their petals contrasting with the seed-filled centre. They draw attention to themselves with their unique stature and deep orange or yellow colour.

Also, they are useful for their seeds, both for snacking and baking. Fields of them are a gorgeous spectacle. Here is an example from Friuli in northeastern Italy. They are probably being cultivated for their seeds, their oil, and maybe to be sold for bouquets, like the one I sent my daughter.

Van Gogh was clearly inspired by them.

Do you like sunflowers? – Maria

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Category: the Friday exhale (Page 1 of 19)

The Friday Exhale: 5 Thoughts on the Week

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The Friday Exhale: 5 Thoughts on the Week

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