Sunday, February 1, 2009

hyacinths for a winter weary soul

If you have two loaves of bread, give one to the poor,
sell the other and
buy hyacinths to feed your soul.
~Mother Teresa~
every year at this time, after the holidays have been put away and the lack of anything
green outside my windows begins to feel tedious,
the old farm house seems to be just begging for fresh flowers to warm her chilly corners.
She doesn't really mind what they might be,
as long as they're fragrant and they must be white.
I found pots and pots of my very favorite white hyacinths at our little mercantile yesterday.
Stepping inside from the chill air, their heady scent greeted me before I saw them.
Immediately, I could feel the knot in my neck begin to relax
and myself just drinking it all in.
ahhh...fresh flowers.
I do believe its true, that we need hyacinths for our souls, whether it's a potted bloom, a bouquet of lemony daffodils, a tiny green trailing ivy or the sight of tight bundles of pink edged white roses.
The coolness and freshness of flowers, alive and blooming against the chill.
a balm for our winter weary souls.
So here they are in an old ironstone punch bowl, scenting the room while we read
by the fire. My husband with his book, me with mine~
a new book about 18th century houses & gardens.
those are balms for my winter weary soul.
wishing you all a bright and shiny first day of
February and hyacinths for your soul.
yrs,Christine

12 comments:

cathypentonatelier said...

Hi honey
Yes flowers definitely bring a smile to my face and make the world just a little brighter....!!!! I know February is a special month for you so putting something little in the mail for you today....Southern Australia is having a terrible heat wave but fortunately here it is quiet mild but we so need rain!!!! Love ya heaps Cathy xx

Susan McShannon-Monteith said...

Oh I do agree although with all the snow here I adore the pink and purple ones.I was told once that the blue actually have the heaviest scent.
The mirror that you have placed before the pot is identical to mine. If you go back through my posts to Through the Looking Glass you may see that we are indeed kindred spirits.
Enjoy your February for I know it holds a special day for you.
xo Susan

Katie said...

Oh, I know I'm enjoying my little pot of spring you brought to me the other day. I love the color and the LIFE that is in it...it promises me that Spring IS on it's way.

Dixie Redmond said...

Beautiful. This is the time of year when I must buy tulips. I have allergies to some flowers with strong perfume, but the tulips lend me a needed shot of color. :-)

Hugs,
Dixie

a little work of grace said...

Dear Christine,

Thank you for the balm for another winter weary soul. I love to have a bit of Spring in the middle of the Winter--what a tease to old man winter. The real balm is the beautiful way your writing transports us.

Hugs,
Laura

Becky said...

I just may need to add a pot to my table, as the snow just started falling this evening. And here I thought Spring was already on her way.
Blessings to you Christine,

XO
Becky

Heather said...

oh, they are lovely! I have some purple ones in my yard. I cant wait to see them peak out their little faces!

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

Thank you Christine...and I could just smell all those beautiful flowers you mentioned!!! And what perfect balms for your winter weary soul...a book by the fireplace...nothing nicer on a winter's evening...all good for your soul...enjoy!!! Love from Dzintra XX

Sea Angels said...

Its our connection with nature I think, we need it so much, sometimes without even realising, our circle is not complete without mother nature.
Lovely post Christine
Hugs Lynn xx

Carole said...

Thank you for the reminder. I need to go out and buy some flowers. My favorite is white tulips. i plan on buying flowers for my mother and daughter for Valentine's Day, so I think I'll get some for me too. Like you, they have to be white.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Love
Carole

Christine Crocker said...

thank you dear laydes for such nice comments~

since February is also my birthday month I'm a little spoilt with flowers at the moment!

Today I'm looking out a snow covered fields and happy
stargazer lilies, deep raspberry roses,white tulips and paper whites blooming in the sunny windows.

I hope that you all have a sweet bloom to nestle your soul into today.

Christine xo

FrenchGardenHouse said...

I too, rush out and try to find all the white flowers and blooming plants in these months. So beautiful! I'm always a little sad when the hyacinths are bloomed out.
Hope you are having a happy month, dear Z. happy belated Birthday...I just had mine, too!
xo Lidy