Nature’s Gift

Today, like any other, we wake up and click into a routine. As the clouds give way to a somber 9/11 anniversary, take a moment not so much to think about where you were that day but where you are right now. There are so many special moments in life that we let slip by because we are too busy to notice.

Just the other day, while walking my two border collies, this beautiful rare and endangered wildflower was in bloom: Gentiana andrewsii (Bottle gentian or Closed gentian). It has an interesting blossom; staying almost completely closed, which is rather unusual for a flower. Bottle gentian is pollinated by bees that actually open up the closed blossoms and crawl inside.

I’ve walked in this particular location with my border collies for years and never once did I see it in flower. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention or maybe this week I was finally lucky enough to see its beautiful but unusual blossom. I don’t think it was a fluke – not much in life really is. It was nature’s gift.

The inspirational gardening quote for the day is from the 1990 movie, Joe Versus the Volcano, when Patricia (Meg Ryan) says to Joe (Tom Hanks), “My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement.” For all those that lost their lives on 9/11, this beautiful flower blooms for you.