The Wisdom of Wildflowers

      Copyright © 2016 Heather Robbins. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Resource Publications

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-0316-7

      hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-0318-1

      ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-0317-4

      Manufactured in the U.S.A. November 9, 2016

      To Kathryn G

      For your wisdom, humor and friendship.

      You showed me the true meaning of living in grace.

      Acknowledgments

      “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

      —Oscar Wilde

      Thank you to my family for always showing me the stars.

      Special thank you to my editor, Jenny Gates.

      Introduction

      I have always loved being outdoors. In fact my happiest memories are from when I was a child, playing in the backyard, hiking in the foothills, or camping in the mountains. My precious childhood collections comprised of interesting rocks, leaves, and feathers that I found on my many outdoor excursions. And, of course, I picked wildflowers. Lots and lots of wildflowers. My fledgling imagination, with the stories and scenarios I would invent each time I came across a grove of flowers, was barely contained within my tiny body. Wildflowers were an ever-present and integral part of my world of fairies, princesses, and knights in shining armor.

      Having lived on a cattle ranch on the Canadian prairies for most of my adult life allowed me to stay close to nature. Today I continue to pick bouquets of wildflowers whenever I can, and nature still sings to me, inspiring my heart and soul to live my best life.

      When I see these beautiful flowers now, I am reminded of the many things that have happened in my life and that continue to affect me as I journey through this world. Flowers speak to me of my past, my family, my relationships, and my responsibilities to myself and others. I am inspired to think more positively, feel more deeply, and live life with a grateful, happy heart, just as God intended.

      Nature is God’s way of helping us calm our thoughts and gently guide us to the answers we seek, answers that are always lying within, but sometimes need gentle nudges to bring them into the light. Wildflowers tell us to pause, take a deep breath, and listen to that inner guidance. They help us pay attention to what our spirit is saying. Tuning into that guidance takes awareness and a willingness to uncover one’s true self. Indeed, everything we need to live a beautiful life already lies within us—our innate wisdom, our strength, our grace, and our humanity.

      Many of us go through our lives with a deeply rooted sense of not being acceptable or lovable. Unfortunately, most of us received these messages when we were very young, and as we navigated through our lives we found ourselves surrounded by people who unwittingly reinforced those narratives. So it was only natural that we came to believe them and let them define who we are. Little wonder many of us struggle with not feeling valued and respected.

      Regardless of where these early messages came from, and how long we have been believing them, it is never too late to change course.

      For many of us, the journey through life is not an easy one, but it can still be blessed with the beauty and wonderment of God’s love when we approach each day with a grateful, understanding heart. Find the place where your spirit rests, whatever or wherever that is, and begin to listen to your precious inner yearnings.

      For me that place is in nature. I completely lay down my defenses when I am out in the fields, and open myself up to hear the songs from my soul. The wildflowers whisper their stories to me, guiding me to my innermost thoughts and feelings. They gently direct me to live well, with peace and grace.

      Prairie Crocus

      The sun is hiding today, entirely concealed behind a gauzy curtain of gray cloud and fog. The horizon fades into the pale mist, creating blurred edges and shrouded forms, as if in a dream that lies just beyond one’s grasp. A cold southeast wind whips through the drizzle of rain and sleet, forcefully driving crystalized beads of moisture to the ground. Snowdrifts remain in the shelter of the trees, holding the soil beneath in icy bondage for a little longer.

      It is early spring here on the prairies. I make my way carefully along a well-worn, muddy path with the sound of the wind my only companion. The path is slippery and I choose my steps carefully to keep my balance.

      On the windswept slope ahead I see the Prairie Crocus— embroidered jewels of softened violet stitched into the muted gold landscape. These brave little blossoms of early spring have broken through the tangle of dead grass and leaves, stretching out and hungrily absorbing the sun’s raw March rays. Their pallid stems are fringed with soft silver hairs, offering protection from the crisp, lashing winds. Almond-shaped petals of faded purple curl towards the sky and surround a center of lemon-yellow stamens. As I kneel down to stroke the petals with my finger, I wonder how something so soft and lovely can come from such a cold, dark place.

      The exquisite mauve color of the Prairie Crocus perfectly describes the delicate play between the warm rays of the sun and the cool soil of the earth, highlighting how everything in nature exists in a divine balance. I realize how important it is to have balance in our own lives, to be grounded and centered while the bustle of the world spins around us. It is too easy to get caught up in the hectic flush of modern day life, and to easily lose our foothold.

      In order to achieve balance in our lives it is important to recognize those elements that pull us off center. How many of us fill our days from dawn to dusk with endless commitments and responsibilities? Our minds race along, switching from one gear to the next, hardly realizing what it is we are even thinking about at any given moment. Our bodies tackle the duties by rote, but our thoughts are somewhere else, usually fussing over what else needs to be done. We get swept up like tender seeds in a swirling wind, looking after everyone else while neglecting our own needs and desires. We convince ourselves there is no time to look after ourselves, and if only we had more time and energy, we could pay attention to what we truly want. But honestly, if we had that extra time, would we not just add more chores to our to-do list?

      Tending to this constant stream of activity creates an imbalance in our mind, body, and spirit. Our embattled soul is so completely caught up in the inertia of this unrelenting flurry that our reserves of energy retreat like the sun in a painted twilight sky. This constant depletion of our reserves affects every aspect of our being.

      How can we remain healthy and strong when the energy that supports our physical, mental, and emotional health is incessantly stripped away? How long before this imbalance knocks us so hard to the ground that we cannot possibly rise again and are left feeling unsheltered and vulnerable, like naked stones on a windswept slope?

      Our spirit aches for a comforting embrace. We hope and pray for some remarkable event to suddenly create more time and space in our hectic lives, thus enabling us to finally look after ourselves. But how long do we think we can wait for that?

      The reality is, we