Lavender and Milkweed

Enjoying the Little Things

Lavender was my mother’s favourite aroma! Perhaps it’s from her that I love its tranquil scent? We grow it at the farm and I love to wave my hand through it and pick up its calming savour. Along with the lavender we have lots of milkweed to attract the monarch butterflies that flutter in to be fuelled by it! Together they exude a peaceful presence and help provide a needed respite from the busyness and noise of city life.

It just so happens that lavender is closely related to the biblical nard that was used to freshen both the crib of Jesus and his burial tomb. How pleasant it is to me that the scent that pleased my mother also pleased Mary and was lavishly strewn to bring a spark of joy to a heart pierced by the sword of anguish (Luke 2:35). Joy and sorrow often lie side-by-side and the fragrance of lavender is gentle enough to hold them abreast in one hand.

My invitation to you in this summer season is to look for the gifts that will enlarge your heart. It may be lavender or milkweed or some other offering that creation bestows (like a dip in a cool northern lake or a BBQ serving up sausages and an ale with good friends). Who can count the varied gifts that rain down upon us from the Father of Lights?

I do know that we can miss it all if we turn inward. Grow anxious. Ponder only what we do not possess. When this is the case, life’s joy is lost. Lavender’s soothing aroma is hidden and the butterflies never come by as the air is thick with our own self-pity.