Let the pink petals fall.
Walks with my boys are often filled with me shouting warnings at them the whole time. “Don’t step into the road, don’t you see that car approaching?” or “Stop trying to open every mailbox you see, you don’t live there! That’s not your mail!” or “What did those plants ever do to you?”
Perhaps that’s why I try and capture so many photos when we walk… so I can look back in wonder at the beauty that crouched quietly and stealthily in between the challenges of keeping them safe and out of trouble.
I captured this photo this weekend, and the hidden beauty struck me this morning when I looked at it. In the front, one of my twins is squishing a pink petal between his fingers as he glances back at his brother. His brother, slightly out of focus, is crouched down as if harnessing all the power he can in his skinny little legs to jump high and hit the highest flower he can reach. His ultimate goal? To create a shower of pink petals to cover the ground and us.
In that moment, I remember telling them to leave the flowers alone. I was impatient. It was hot and I was tired and I didn’t want them to mess with one more thing that wasn’t ours to touch.
But now, I kinda wish I had let him shower us with pink petals. I wish I had taken the time to see them both laugh in wonder as the petals fell gently to the ground.
What is nature for if not to stop and look with wonder at its beauty?
This time, it hits you hard some days. The distance, the masks, the divide between us especially when someone is hurting. It’s a time when maybe what we need most is to go against our instincts and run and jump and play and just let the pink petals fall.
My prayer this morning is that you slow down to see God right there, in the moment. Don’t be like me and wait for the photo to tell you the story. Be present and let your legs fill with enough power to jump up high and hit the tallest branch. Let God shower you with precious pink petals that speak so clearly of God’s presence as they glide slowly to the ground.
