CELEBRATE....WITH SONGS AND FLOWERS

Welcome Friends!

Thanks for stopping by to read my link to Ruth Ayres' weekly celebration of the many authentic, simple, and valuable moments in our lives.



 


Based on the whirlwind week I'd experience, it was with great trepidation that I sat down to write this post.  Waking up to what has become my Saturday morning ritual--blogging, sipping coffee, looking out across my deck to my garden....I was at a loss for what I could share as today's "celebration."  Tomorrow will be the first Father's Day for my family without my Dad, and I have spent many moments this week dreading it and crying over it.  

The sadness has been taking me by surprise lately, and usually swamps over me at odd times.  It sweeps in when I am walking my hounds in the pouring rain, and I am reminded of how Pop used to grumble about taking Heidi, our schnauzer, out in bad weather late at night.  It stabs at me when I hear someone mention that they have to find time to shop for a Father's Day gift. I remember how J.R. always used to say, "You kids need to stop buying me presents!"  His tune changed though on the Christmas when he exclaimed that the new high definition, wide-screen television we gave him was "the BEST gift he ever got!"  

This morning though, smiles came instead of tears when flowers and a special song triggered my memory.  It is a memory that gives me cause to truly celebrate the man I was blessed to know and love dearly.....


I beg your pardon,
I never promised you a rose garden.
Along with the sunshine,
There's gotta be a little rain sometimes.



These lyrics are from one of my father's favorite songs, a country classic by Lynn Anderson.  He used to sing along to it as he listened to his transitor radio and shaved every morning.  When I hear it, his tenor voice resonates down the hall,  and I can smell the tangy scent of his Mennen's Skin Bracer aftershave.  This song is also the reason that I recently added four new rose bushes to my garden.  They are the "Knock Out" variety-- highly resilient, very colorful, low-maintenance, and shrub-like--perfect for me since I did not inherit my father's knack for yard work!  When I sit on my deck in the summer and fall, they not only provide me with a lovely view, but also with a quiet reminder that his gentle spirit will always sustain and be with me....




 So smile for a while and let's be jolly:
Life shouldn't be so melancholy.
Come along and share the good times while we can.




As always, thanks for sharing my story and the song in my heart.  May your summer be full of celebrations, memorable music, and your favorite flowers!


4 comments

  1. Blessings as you face your first Father's Day without your dad. It doesn't get easier, but the memories are always there. Friends planted a rose bush in our front bed when my dad died. It was always a special treat to see it bloom since he loved roses and gardening. I need to investigate knock out, low maintenance roses.

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    1. Thanks for your kind words, Ramona! May your rose garden bring you comfort today as well!
      ~Jennifer

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  2. I know just how you feel about Father's Day without your dad. It is hard. Be well.

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    1. May your good memories comfort you today as well!
      ~Jennifer

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