Welcome to The Call Within.
As I sit here and sip my herbal tea,
Knowing that the wonderful plants in this liquid are also steeping into my body with every sip,
I see a quote on the tag hanging out of my cup.
It says,
Are not flowers the stars of the earth?
Echoing Clara Lucas Balfour's words from 1917.
Over a hundred years ago,
This Englishwoman pondered the beauty of our planet and sky,
And here I sit and I sip some flowers,
Some plants,
In a deliciously calming tea,
A woman of the future pondering a woman in the past,
And how we both see this garden of earth,
Of sky,
And of spirit.
Clara,
Dare I be so bold and intimate to use her first name,
Actually wrote a little bit more than is on my tea tag.
The full version is this.
What a desolate place would be a world without a flower.
It would be a face without a smile,
A feast without a welcome.
Are not flowers the stars of the earth,
And are not our stars the flowers of heaven?
What I think she realized and I hope to pass on to you is this.
A flower is undoubtedly beautiful,
But it is in taking time to look at it and be grateful for it that we really receive its beauty.
Flowers will bloom and wither,
Smiles will fade to memories of people in photographs,
Food not shared will rot,
And stars will be covered in the next daylight.
We must take the time to notice the garden in which our spirit finds itself,
To witness the beauty,
To look at the flowers,
To share a smile,
And to give food.
Watch the stars glisten and enjoy a cup of tea and the contemplations it can bring.
Your spirit is here in this beautiful garden.
Take the time to see it grow,
Help tend to it,
Be grateful for the food that it provides.
Smell the flowers and pull out the weeds,
Like those thoughts of not being enough or the sense that you don't belong.
These only come from not taking the time to put your hands in the dirt or to touch a tree or dance in the rain.
You feel disconnected,
Dear one,
Because you are not looking at the stars or the flowers on the earth and above it,
They are your reflection smiling at you.
If you live in the city,
Please take the time to touch the earth,
With your feet or your hands,
On the grass or in soil,
It may seem silly,
But it will help your spirit remember the wonder of this garden that we live in.
Screens and computers remove you from the planet like glass prisons,
Looking through,
But disconnected from the awe of feeling it.
Don't you see?
You are a rose,
Stunning,
Soft,
Vibrant,
And if people are too busy to see your beauty,
It does not mean that you are not beautiful or not worthy.
A rose is still a rose,
No matter how busy passerbyers are,
And the right souls will gaze upon you in wonder and awe and see your radiance.
But ask yourself this,
Are you taking the time to stop and enjoy the roses,
Any of the flowers or trees?
Are you paying attention to the grass?
Are you giving energy to the people around you,
Smiles,
In your family,
In your friends or community?
What are you looking at or feeding yourself?
Come now,
Come play in the garden dear one,
Share food,
Smiles,
Flowers and awe.
When we look around and connect to nature,
We remember that we are nature,
And that our spirit skips and hops like a child on the grass.
Feel the sun kiss your cheeks,
Eat the fruits from the trees that they gift us,
And ponder with me and a woman from a previous century at the wonder of it all,
The beauty of this garden.
This is the garden of your spirit.
What a desolate place would be a world without a flower.
What a desolate place would be a world without you.
Are not flowers the stars of the earth,
And were your elements not made by the stars?
You are a star on earth,
A flower,
And you are worth taking time to sip tea and ponder.
