Last Fall my good friend Fabrizio shared the following words with me:
"Vicki, you have to stop being a Gardener, constantly tending to all those around you. When are you going to realize that you are the Flower? When are you going to to have a Gardener tend to you?"
I suppose that people are like flowers; we need sun and water. When the sun, glowing orange against the horizon, settles in for the evening, we need to draw our petals and leaves tight against our stems and get some rest. People, like plants, need card and nurturing. They need the sunshine of kindness and kind words, they need to feel appreciated and loved. They need clean water to nourish their souls and air to breathe. Flowers depend on nature to be their gardener, some tougher than others. Wild Flowers in season are hearty; they survive the elements and grow without tending. Other flowers, such as the orchid are delicate and fragile and do not thrive without a very patient and meticulous gardener, needing a precise amount of water, light and fertilizer to bloom and grow.
In my opinion, people differ a little in that we can be a mix of wildflower and Orchid. Wildflower, in that through our lives we face the elements, rain, storm, wind and darkness; and after all that our stems remain, our petals worse for the wear, but we look for the sun to nourish them again. The sun does not always shine, but eventually it will. Sometimes the Orchid in us needs some care and nurturing. It's a little more difficult for the Orchid in that the Orchid can not ask for help; people can.
The Beauty of being a Human Being is that we can take charge and become our own Gardener. We can engage in self care to ensure that we continue to grow. We can't always be prepared for the elements that await us, but in tending to ourselves, we can be better equipped to endure.
It's impossible to be a Gardener unless you tend to yourself. In taking the time to be better for ourselves, we enhance our ability to be better Gardeners. It's important to tend to our own Garden, because without self care, we don't have the tools to thrive and nurture the other flowers in our garden.
I will be my own Gardener and work harder each day to ensure that my stalk is sturdy, my leaves hearty and my petals strong enough to embrace the sun.
Supplies:
Stamps: Impression Obsession-Cover a Card Harlequin
Ink: Donna Salazar Colorbox Mossy Mixed Media Ink. Tim Holtz Vintage Photo, SU Soft Sky
Paper: Little Darlings Caladium Paper Pack, Kraft Cardstock
Journal: Prima Mixed Media Journal-6x6
Half Pearls: CTMH
Machine Stitching
This Journal is Fabulous! I got it at Scrappin' Great Deals and not only do I LOVE the size, I love the fact that the book is bound with a rope and the pages pull out so that you can work on them without creating a mess!!!! This is the first page of many in my Inspirational Journal Series. I've just purchased a bunch of new supplies to expand into mixed media a little more and to create some pages to capture my thoughts, feelings and inspirations. I sure hope you enjoy my shares with you!
Happy Stamping!
