I've discovered many things on this journey of intentional daily gratitude. I have learned that there are many things that I enjoy that I forget to be embrace with a grateful heart. The scent of lily of the valley is one of them.
My friend, Nola, took this picture and posted it. I found myself longing for the fragrance of the lily of the valley. It is unique... like lilacs... man never seems to get it quite right. Only His glorious mother nature can create it perfectly.
It is a fragrance that wraps us in the wonder of spring and invites other flowers to take courage and break forth from the soil in joy. We had a patch along the fenceline at our Peoria home so many years ago. I think Melba Aaron... our sweet neighbor... must have been the one to credit with it's placement, as we did not plant it. Now, it makes me think of her. It crept over to our side and filled the air with with it's special scent. Her flowers were always beautiful and she left a smile on our face with every neighborly encounter.
I am pretty sure Melba's life was not always easy. She still used a wringer washing machine. She loved children and grandchildren with her whole heart and loved to tell what they were doing at every stage of life. My Randy would always keep eye to see if she was doing something a woman of her years and small stature should not be doing. Although fiercely independent, she always grateful for the littlest things. We only had Chase at the time, and it was like having a Grandma next door. We loved "Miss Melba", as he called her.
She was a believer and faithful to her Lord. It was obvious that she had trusted him for many years, even when life was complicated, He never abandoned her or let her down. She was a beautiful example of faith and hope. She loved to express herself with her beautiful flowers. She created a lovely fragrance for all of us to enjoy by her example and with her garden.
"But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing." -2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (NLT)
"Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God." What kind of fragrance will we leave behind today?
Today, I am grateful for Lily of the Valley... and Miss Melba's example.
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