the flowers bend their bright bodies, 
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
their red stems holding
all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again —
beauty the brave, the exemplary,
blazing open.
Do you love this world?
–excerpt “Peonies” by Mary Oliver*
Loving the world feels like a difficult topic to write about today when I see news coverage of the recent oil spill in Santa Barbara and read about the dolphins dying. It can be easy to start to feel discouraged and hopeless in the face of such destruction and lack of love for the earth, our precious, irreplaceable home.
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Blog posts tagged in flowers
Tiny flowers know 
that hope blooms eternal
pushing the way
through cracked stone
reclaiming
repopulating
rebirthing the Earth
What is a seed
but a miracle
right in front of me
What am I
but a miracle
to be seeing this right now…
After a long stint in Los Angeles and a life mostly lived in California, I'm finding my first springtime in the country in central Missouri to be indescribably magical. As the flowers begin to bloom and the green begins to return, I am truly shocked to behold all the botanical life that just bursts forth everywhere, all on its own, without the intense watering and cultivation that was so often necessary in my former desert environment. And it seems that so many different flowers, all in one place, are expected to miraculously appear on the scene at various times throughout the year! It's a kaleidoscopic theater of brightness and life.
For example, I recently discovered that a seemingly lifeless shrub right in front of our house had - quite possibly overnight - adorned itself in elegant, delicate, and intensely bright yellow blooms. I've since spied the same blossoms elsewhere in my area. Now that I know that this beauty as forsythia, I thought I'd explore some of her floral magic and wisdom.
...
Sometimes the best solution to an environmental issue is to look to nature. Today's Pagan News Beagle features several examples of how activists and scientists around the globe are working to implement nature-based solutions to heal the planet in unexpected ways. Read on to learn about artificial forests, "ugly" (but edible) vegetables, and plastic-eating fungus.
Tiny flowers of summer 
Waving colorful flags
of the season’s surrender
against a backdrop of dry leaves
Lifting tender, hopeful
tenacious faces
parched but promising
a last hurrah
a final fling
a tiny majesty
Spots of glorious color
on dry ground
Proof of life’s own love affair with itself.
