'Mell the Roses

We had the most gorgeous weather on Monday - pretty unbelievable for January! It was especially appreciated because Monday was Grandpa's funeral. We were blessed and encouraged to see so many people in attendance. The great-grandkids were each given a rose after the graveside service was over. The kids sure looked nice, all dressed up; the roses added a nice touch to some pictures we took as the kids roamed around the cemetery. One of the youngest kids kept walking up to people and asking if they wanted to smell his rose…except he left off the "s" in "smell," so he asked "Do you want to 'mell my rose?" It was cute, and made many people smile or even chuckle. I don't think anyone turned him down on his offer, either.

In the midst of a bittersweet day, as we officially said goodbye to Grandpa, we had the opportunity to 'mell some figurative roses. As I reflected on the day, it was as if God gently whispered that each and every day He has roses for me to 'mell. Am I too busy to notice? Too focused on trials or disappointments to "bother" with 'melling a rose? He doesn't shove a rose in my face, forcing me to 'mell it, but He does offer it to me. Perhaps it is a beautiful sunset (you may prefer beautiful sunrises, but I find it hard to appreciate things at that time of day!), a kind word, a yummy cinnamon roll, the presence of loved ones, new beginnings, or even the realization that since things could be much worse, what we have is a blessing - all around us, every day, there are roses to 'mell.

Sometimes we have to sit still long enough to become aware of the roses being offered to us. It seems that what we focus on will increase - either trials or blessings - but in reality, the frequency doesn't change.  If I choose to focus on the good, I'll begin to notice more and more good that has been there all along. It won't negate the difficult circumstances; it's quite possible to feel both sadness and thankfulness at the same time, possible to see beauty amidst brokenness. 

I'm not ignoring the loss of Grandpa just because I'm telling my kids how he taught me that the human stomach has a special compartment reserved for dessert, so even if you're legitimately too full to finish dinner, you certainly have room for dessert.  And I'm not ignoring the fact that my mom has cancer just because we laugh together and create fun memories and choose to focus on what we have rather than what we don't have. 

You aren't guaranteed tomorrow. It's time to 'mell some roses.