Seniors and Roses

Why "SENIORS and ROSES", you ask??    Here's the explanation:  All of these roses are from this Season's first blooms - and all from various grades of rose bushes that have finally reached maturity in their growth.  In previous years, the colors and shapes have been beautiful, but never before have our rose bushes produced such gigantic blooms! It's as if the ROSE bushes have endured their childhood and teenage years (ie, years of cold, snowy, frozen, and icy winters mixed in with years of draught and extreme heat), and then coasted through their adult years ( years of changing seasons and irregular temperature and humidity conditions) to arrive at this year, 2010: the year which defines their Seniority and Senior Status in the garden.  And as SENIORS, don't you agree that these ROSE bushes have produced some of the most beautiful blooms that you have ever seen?  As SENIORS, these ROSES show how they've learned their lessons well to pursue excellence in their blooming.

In ECCLESIASTES chapter 3 verse 11, we find that that the footnotes help us to read this verse as follows:   

"11 He hath made every thing beautiful in His time: also He hath set the eternal in their heart without which man cannot find out the work that God hath done."

Having a childlike attitude can help us to be more willing to submit to all that proving ourselves here on earth requires; but, having a mature attitude swells the eternal things of God within our heart, and opens our perspective to look for the Divine and the Beautiful in all of God's Handiwork.

Indeed, we are blessed that God has given us Beauty in our Seasons of Life!

 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

(ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8)

Years ago, Great Papa survived a severe bout with pancreatitis that should have taken his life.  We know that he was blessed through Priesthood blessings for the surgeons to perform experimental (last ditch effort) surgery which bought him some time to allow some healing to take place in his damaged pancreas.  His recovery took several months in the hospital and was labeled a miracle by all his medical support team!  A few of the Doctors made a thorough investigation into his background and lifestyle, to determine if there was something there that contributed to him being able to survive his critical pancreatitis attack that tried to shut down his body.  After, learning that he had never smoked, never drank, or lived in anyway that was destructive to his body - (because of his faithful adherence to the Word of Wisdom) - they pressed to find some other factor that contributed to his survival.  At last, the doctors concluded that Great Papa's life-long daily habit of drinking Chocolate Ovaltine had fortified his body and given his body that "little extra-edge" of health to have endured all of the trials associated with the pancreatitis.

Here's Great Papa (and Great) preparing their Chocolate Ovaltine in "to go" bottles for a breakfast excursion to McDonald's.  Tables are a premium there, because of the many other Seniors who are also venturing out for a morning breakfast outing!

The Ovaltine is ready to go and stays cold in the cooler so it's ready to drink.  There's something to be said about the simple joys of life, about appreciating the little things, and finding the good, therein.

 

There's something to be said about finding joy in a beautiful rose.

 

There's something to be said about being in awe of God's handiwork.

Our INSPIRATIONAL FAMILY FOCUS is by Sister Kathleen H Hughes, in commenting on "
Lessons from the Old Testament: Coming of Age": 

 "It requires spiritual sensitivity and maturity to look outside oneself ...—it is a conscious and courageous decision [we] make each week to serve and bless others’ lives.   It’s rare for a person to be in as dangerous or dramatic a situation as Esther’s, but each of us daily has the privilege of influencing someone, of deciding to show our Heavenly Father that we understand and are grateful for His plan for us and that we accept and are committed to live by the covenants we have made with Him. Like Esther, who was asked by Mordecai, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” we have come to the kingdom for this time, and we need faith, testimony, and courage to live up to the promises made to us by the Father. "