Flower Power

I was just blogwalking on Tumblr, scrolling through my endless dashboard when I encountered this one post, containing pictures of rare flowers. Rare, exquisite, delicate flowers. These are few of my favorites :

come on. like seriously? SO DAMN PRETTY.

Then, I suddenly brought back to my Singapore trip earlier this year, when I visited Flower Dome at Gardens By The Bay. Have you been there? It's absolutely magnificent. I won't say it's the best (yes, I am still disappointed I couldn't find lilac there) but it really is a beautiful space.

I remembered how I separated ways with my three friends, mainly because they wanted to take pictures with all those flowers, and I just had no patience to move that slow just to take picture. So I went on my own, with my camera, capturing all those lovely flowers in all their own glory in frame.

in the CNY theme

So then after walking so much ( I even went to the top floor, where they have collections of South Africans plants like Baobabs) of course I got tired. So I went back to the one of the area (they separated the areas, like Australian, South American, dll.) and just sat there, alone. It was one of the quietest corner, not many people walked in, so I had my quiet moment to reminisce, to think, to wonder.

I remember how cool the air was, and the lighting was just perfect, not too bright yet not too dim either. I lightly massaged my tired feet, while still looking around, at all those pretty pretty colorful flowers.

How could something so lovely, so delicate, and so gracious, grow from the old, boring, dark soil?

How could they emerge into such a beautiful presence?

How could they stay so pure, so divine, in this messy, corrupted place we call earth?

Then it hit me.

Because the flowers are gift. From Mother Earth. From our Creator. 

Flowers are a solid proof how this world works from the very beginning. Hard work, devotion, commitment...  they never go unrewarded.

I remember as a kid, the kiddie magazine my parents bought subscription for me gave flower seed as their weekly bonus ( I think it was Zinnia Flowers, but I can't really recall, all I know is there's a Z in the name). I was so excited, I wanted flowers even though at that time, we didn't have a garden at home, just a couple potted plants in front of the house. I tried to  grow the seed, and yeah, since I was a kid, I didn't pay attention, and the Zinnia never even emerged from the soil (sorry!). 

I can only imagine the amount of time, mind, soul, and even money spent on growing all those flowers, let alone the maintenance. My visit to Flower Dome gave me newfound respect to all the gardeners, farmers, or basically, everybody who has that level of love, patience, and devotion, to grow and nurture something to life. 

How happy must they feel when the flowers finally bloom?

Ah, I can only imagine.

Oh, how I long to have the patience, the tenacity, the commitment in me, to do something like growing flowers. I'm working on it. Still and will always be working on it.

Isn't it amazing how God always manage to remind us about his Greatness? 

Did they not look at the earth - 

how much We have produced therein from every noble kind?

Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.

[QS. Ash - Shu'ara, Verse 7-8]

And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives

And that his effort is going to be seen -

Then he will be recompensed for it with the fullest recompense

[QS. An - Najm, Verse 39 - 41]