Beautiful Flower

One of my favorite things to hear is my little daughter excitedly exclaiming, "Look Momma!  They're ballooning!  They're ballooning!"  Whether she is referring to the white with purple centered african daisies in our backyard or the surprise pumpkin plants in our front yard, it is a delight to my ears.  She loves flowers and isn't bias in observing their unique beauty and qualities.  From the common clover to the exquisite rose, my sweet girl appreciates them, breaths in their fragrances, gently strokes their petals noting how soft they are, and cries when we don't take time to stop and just enjoy their presence.

This past Sunday was Mother's day.  The church we attended had a baby and child dedication as part of the service and had wonderfully talented women singing for the praise part of the service.  The pastor talked about how God is a promise keeper.  But out of all the morning that I remember hearing or being a part of, what stuck with me was listening to the pastor talk about little girls and comparing them to flowers.

He has a daughter of his own and spoke a word of advice to all of us mommy's with daughters that were in church that day.  Watching a little girl grow up is like watching a flower blossom.  The pastor basically asked everyone if they ever had seen an ugly flower(of course, no one could name one; and it was a rhetorical question).  Then he pointed out how some flowers we take for granted because they are common to us like here in the state of Texas a common flower is the bluebonnet.  It is still a beautiful flower though.  (Or for example, the dandelion might be considered a weed but I love it because it is a fluffy little thing and yellow is my favorite color.)

He warned all the mommies out there to not try to make our little girls to be roses if they are not roses.  But let them grow and bloom just how God has intended and just how God has created them to be.  All of his words made me think of my own beautiful little flower.  How she put her hands together over her head the other day in the dining room and twirled around in a circle almost falling down and told me she was practicing her "Balrina".  How she wants to protect bugs and gives them names like Squirmy Wormy.  When she brings in flowers from the yard for my vase or puckers her lips and says, "I give you kisses."  And then points to her cheek and wants me to give her kisses back.  She is a sweet fragrance to my heart. 

I hope to never try to define what type of blossom she will bloom to be someday.  I never want to undermine her selfconfidence, but build her up and feed her the miracle grow of God's promises.  I hope she knows how much I love her for just being her - beautiful blue eyes and all!