There Are Always Flowers ~ Changing My Perspective On A Tough Situation

by @Fitzysmom

There are always flowers for those who want to see them. Henri Matisse
Photo courtesy of @ChaseFitz5


Six weeks ago my life took a dramatic change. My husband accepted a position with a new company and we packed our suitcases and embarked on a new adventure. From the start I knew this would mean spending six weeks living in a hotel before we moved to more permanent housing.

To make the most of our money I went on bargain hotel websites and booked a room every two weeks. (We were able to go home every other weekend.) Some weeks we hit the jackpot and got ultra nice accommodations but other weeks we got rooms that were adequate but that's about it.

At first this little adventure was fun. I enjoyed the cable TV, uninterrupted time for reading and painting, and the hotels' workout rooms and pools. But by week five I was just done. I wanted my own home with my own bed and my own shower. I wanted to see my kids and my grands several times a week rather than every other weekend. I didn't care that this was an answer to a prayer that we had been petitioning God about for several years. I just wanted my life back.

In the midst of my pity party I came across a quote from Henri Matisse that I love.
There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
I can't say that I was instantly receptive to the thought. In fact I was pretty cynical as I looked out the hotel window at the parking lot below. No flowers there that I could see. But God is gracious and He peeled back the layers covering my eyes and allowed me to see the blooms.

The first was in the lobby. This particular hotel was across the street from a cancer treatment center. As I exited the elevator I saw a group of people gathered around a woman that was obviously fighting the awful disease. She was frail looking but the serene smile on her face was just beautiful. She was most likely in the battle of her life but at that moment she was surrounded by loved ones and she was breathing in their life giving aroma.

My next glimpse was in the parking lot. There was a man on his cell phone sitting on the tailgate of his pickup truck. He had most likely just gotten off of work and was calling home to talk to his family. My husband made the comment that he knew he had a little girl. When I asked how he knew that he said the My Little Pony stickers on the dash gave it away. I said I felt sorry for him because he was away from his family. My husband said he was proud of him for working so hard to provide for his family. As we drove out of the parking lot we could see the man with his head tipped back belly laughing at some antic that was conveyed to him. He could obviously see the bouquets planted all around him.

The final bloom I'll tell you about is the lovely housekeeper we had. While my husband is at work I spend my time at the hotel so I regularly ran into this woman. She was performing a job that was backbreaking and most likely disgusting at times. Yet she went about it cheerfully singing. The day we checked out she actually hugged me and said a blessing over me. Not only did she see the blooms she chose to pick them and hand them out.

What marvelous examples these people are. They were each just going about their daily lives but they allowed the beauty to shine rather than the ugly to cover it up. I'm so thankful that God worked through them to change my perspective in the midst of a tough situation. I pray that I will continue to look for the flowers amidst the weeds and I pray that you'll be able to do the same. May God's glorious creation speak peace to our weary souls.


5 comments:

  1. Thanks of the encouragement and the reminder to look for flowers no matter what.

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    1. You're welcome . . . and thanks for coming over and reading it!

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  2. It's always amazing to see new people and think about what their lives are like. Even talking to some is so much fun!! God be with you on your journey!

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    1. I love to guess what people are doing. It is kind of a fun thing my husband and I do together. We love to make up stories. Thank you so much for your blessing!

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  3. loved your post. such a good reminder to think of others at a time we may feel down. praying your move goes well.

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