Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Pyjama Flowers


Cheap and cheerful, the fake flowers below add a dash of colour to the desk in my classroom. Day after day they are there. They do not change—the buds never unfurl and the sunflower never follows the path of the sun. These flowers do not need any attention from me, not even a drop of water or plant food. They are always the same and I can look at them whenever I want to without making  any effort.


If these flowers were moved to a difficult-to-access location, I would not make any effort to see them, they have no intrinsic value.

But when our hiking leader told our walking group that the Pyjama Flowers were in bloom in the Nature Reserve, we went to great lengths to see them. We donned strong walking shoes, took hold of our walking sticks and put on thick layers of sunblock. We packed water and snacks in our backpacks and hiked uphill for several  hours under the hot African sun just to see the beautiful flowers while they were blooming.

These flowers, with their petals striped with a delicate green as though they were made of old fashioned pyjama material, were well worth the long dusty climb. Their value lay not just in their beauty, but in their very transience. If we had delayed by even a couple of days, we would have missed them.

Our lives in this world also possess the quality of transience and are precious. The Bible tells us in Psalm 103  "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field, the wind blows over it and it is gone..."

So let's cherish our family and friends, let's show them our love and appreciation while we can, for, like the pyjama flowers, each life is transient.







Pyjama Flowers 

11 comments:

  1. Thank you Ruth for this beautiful reminder which has touched my heart. This week has seen a death in my family but also a new life. God is with us in all these changing times of our lives.
    Blessings to you.

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    1. Thank you for the comment, Mandy.

      We have also had a death and a new life in our family, and this gave rise to this post.

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  2. Thanks, Ruth. What a fascinating and beautiful flower! I don't remember the name but I know there is a flower here in Australia that comes out only one night a year, so you have to be quick to photograph it. Amazing!

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    1. Thank you for the comment. I think South Africa also has a flower that only blooms for one night of the year.

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  3. Thanks Ruth for sharing your pyjama flowers with those of us who would never see them otherwise.

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    1. Thank you for the comment, Dale. I found these flowers very intriguing.

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  4. Ruth, the flower is beautiful. I'm glad you had the opportunity to see it and share it with us :)

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    1. Thank you for the comment, Narelle. Yes, it really is a beautiful and unique flower.

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  5. A beautiful reminder, Ruth. Thank you for sharing.

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  6. Stunning post, Ruth, and I know how relevant it is for you after the tragedy and also the new life in your family. Thank you for sharing this.

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  7. Beautiful flowers and beautiful post, Ruth. What a reminder of the preciousness of every moment.

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