Sunday, July 9, 2017

The Power of Daylilies

Today, I visited Cutler Botanic Gardens in Binghamton, New York to enjoy their day lily collection.  It was a beautiful summer day in upstate New York, and this garden called to me. 

Enjoy the flowers first, and then I have a story to tell you.
We crossed the bridge to see what is blooming.
In the day lily area, a sign greets you.

Does this remind you of a harvest sky? That is this lily's name.
How about "Madly Red"?
Golden Tentacles.
Scatterbrain.
And now, I have a story to tell you about the power of flowers.


This morning, when I clicked on Facebook, I was faced with a video Facebook made for me.  It was to celebrate a Facebook friendship anniversary - eight years.  There was only one problem.  The friend has since crossed the bridge to - what, we won't know until we cross that bridge ourselves.

Then, Facebook told me it was the birthday of three of my friends.  One of them - yes, you guessed it.  She died suddenly, last year.

As it happens, lilies are symbolic of funerals.  They symbolize innocence restored to the soul of the deceased.

I don't quite know what to make of this. Hopefully, what it has done is made me think about my two late friends, and the meanings they gave to my life.  Daylilies, each flower of which blooms only for a single day, teach us that life is fleeting, and is made to be enjoyed.  And, it is about time I thanked all the volunteers who bring the rest of us the beauty of the Cutler Botanic Gardens.

Thank you, volunteers.  Thank you for the beauty you bring us.

And, for life, thank you for this day, and for the technology that permits me to share this beauty with you, my readers.

Day 9 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost.

12 comments:

  1. Daylilies are a good way to remind us that life is fleeting and to make every minute count.

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  2. At an early age I learned that lilies were synonymous with death and funerals, and I've ignored them until... I visited my friends in Maine and saw the hundreds of daylilies she's used to landscape their property. Now when I go to visit, I want to be out there, deadheading the lilies, making room for new blooms. So beautiful!

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  3. So sorry for your losses, Alana. But the lilies are gorgeous,

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  4. I didn't know lilies were associated with death. Perhaps that's why they make me feel uncomfortable. Of course they are beautiful but roses signify abundance to me, carnations make me happy but lilies make me sad .

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  5. I didn't know lilies symbolize funerals. But I guess it's fitting. I'm sorry for your loss. Maybe it was apt that you went to see the lilies..

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  6. Beautiful flowers to remind us of the temporary gift of life and beauty. I am so sorry for your losses.

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  7. Losses are difficult. But beautiful lilies make the sadness a bit easier to deal with.

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  8. It's beautiful that we have nature to remind us about many things, especially about life, and about mortality.

    It's always a sad thing to loose our beloved ones, including our friends, but the great thing about it is the experience of knowing them and becoming with them.

    Life is fleeting and so is the hurt that comes with the departure of our beloved ones.

    Have a great day ahead! :)

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  9. The feelings behind Dailies is very heart touching. My prayers for your late friends souls. Beautiful clicks.

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  10. I don't know that all lilies are associated with death, but I know in the nursing profession, certainly here in S.Africa anyway, white lilies are hated with a passion. Some nurses will remove white lilies from a patient's arrangement of flowers as they believe it is prophetic of death. Silly superstition for such a beautiful flower. Common Saying starting with D.

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  11. Those FB remembrances can trigger strange things. They don't do them well. I hope all you had were happy memories.

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