One of my favorite and poignant quotes about flowers came from a man by the name of Dieter F Uchtdorf.

"Be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences."

There have been days that I have felt COMPLETELY useless and begged God to take me home because I felt like SUCH a failure. And yet, also on those days, I could still find good things I had done, that significantly blessed the lives of others, even if I wasn't where I wanted to be at the time.

Another of my favorites is a talk by Quentin Cook that I call the Sunflower Talk.

"The clamor that reverberates across the earth because of worldly wickedness creates feelings of vulnerability. With modern communication the impact of iniquity, inequality, and injustice leaves many feeling that life is inherently unfair. As significant as these trials can be, they must not distract us from rejoicing in and celebrating Christ’s supernal intercession in our behalf. The Savior literally “gained the victory over death.” With mercy and compassion He took upon Himself our iniquity and transgressions, thus redeeming us and satisfying the demands of justice for all who would repent and believe on His name.²

. . .

"How, then, do we deal with the harsh realities that surround us?

. . .

"We were surprised that sunflowers flourish in soil which has been impacted by farm and snow removal equipment and the accumulation of materials that would not be considered ideal soil for wildflowers to grow.

. . .

"One of the remarkable characteristics of young wild sunflowers, in addition to growing in soil that is not hospitable, is how the young flower bud follows the sun across the sky. In doing so, it receives life-sustaining energy before bursting forth in its glorious yellow color.

"Like the young sunflower, when we follow the Savior of the world, the Son of God, we flourish and become glorious despite the many terrible circumstances that surround us. He truly is our light and life."

When my oldest was still a baby, picking flowers out of our garden, a nature-loving neighbor gave me a book. It was called, A Pocketful of Pinecones. It was a fictional story about a family in the great depression era, who were teaching their children at home, Charlotte-Mason style.

The family started out in the city, and treasured trips to the library or bookstore, and making scripture reading a daily staple. But when things got tough and the father lost his job, they moved to the country to be near family and had all sorts of outdoor adventures, mixed in with handwriting reading and math. Neighbors were visited. Spiders were studied. Families were strengthened.

And it seemed like a lovely way to live. I know that there is probably nothing more annoying in all the world then people who have no children, telling others who have children, how they should be parenting, but quite possibly the second-most annoying thing a person can do is tell others how to teach children, when their children are still babies. And I think I might have done a little of that while reading this book.

Fast forward four years, and we had the dreamiest preschool ever, just little girl and her mommy, and the birds in the field. We made a journal and kept track of a few things. But now we are getting into a new phase of life and I think we will start doing it again.

Preening

For homeschool we had bird school this week. We discussed the amazing adaptations that God has given to birds to be able to fly and soar and swim and eat. We watched a video of this duck oiling all its feathers. It struck me that when I do self care, it is just like preening. It looks extremely selfish and like a waste of time while it is happening, but for a duck who lives in water all of the time, it is necessary to its very survival to preen every day. This has so many connections to real life. If you are swimming in deep water of criticism, depression, trials, addiction of loved ones, a stay at home mom, or anything that could quickly wear you down, you need to keep your protections up. Today I "preened" by taking a bath, reading scriptures, and putting lotion on my skin before the kids woke up. I made myself smell the lotion and enjoy it. Love is a healer and it is vital that I put myself around people who love me while I heal. I guess that is the lesson I am learning today.