The palette of the earth is ever-changing; one day it is charcoal gray, and the next, it blooms in color.
We planted the winter pansies on a clear blue day, the sun perfectly resplendent.
I watched a hawk glide overhead, all that grace, all that mastery of the sky.
The bluest pansy mirrored the sky; I held it ever so gently in my hand.
Make a wish I thought, on this beautiful day; make a wish to celebrate this hour.
The snow came the morning after we planted the pansies; ice crystals clung to the delicate petals.
Oh, the weight of winter coming, like the weight of the world, so heavy at times.
I remembered the hawk just then, the way he could fly, how he toured the sky in seemingly easy strokes.
I remembered my wish; life is not always blue skies, but even on those charcoal days, a dream can still take flight.
It is not so much the charcoal sketch that matters; it is the layers of colors, the mastery of life, one stroke at a time.
The winter pansies survive in the snow, blooms too beautiful to perish; ever so gently, I hold the blooms within my heart, crystal dreams, nothing in this world can shatter.
Psalm 51:17: “Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”
Revelation 22:1: “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb.”
My pansies are still in their pots, but I’m not sure if they survived the cold snap or not….
It is an amazing thing with the winter pansies. One January, I saw them peeking out amidst the snow. 🙂
wow what tenacity .. growing in that snow! A great lesson for us 🙂
Yes! It is a great lesson for us. The pansies seem like such delicate flowers; yet,they endure the blows of winter. We have our hard times too. Even in our ‘cold winter moments’, with faith, we overcome.
I didn’t know there were winter pansies!
Winter pansies can survive in temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. In Virginia, we plant them as hardy winter annuals. Right now, I have a pink camellia bush that is blooming. But other than that, mostly, there is just greenery this time of year.That is why the pansies are so much fun to plant in a winter garden.:)
How interesting! I lived in South Hampton Roads for a number of years, and I don’t recall ever seeing pansies in the winter. Plenty of camellias, which I always enjoyed.
I grew up on Long Island, New York. We only had summer pansies. I was amazed to find this variety! The camellias are incredible.The only thing I miss are the lilacs…there are some here, but they are not the same.
True. When I moved back to New England in 2001, I was very happy to buy a house with lilac bushes.
My grandmother had the most beautiful lilac bush when I was a child.The scent of lilacs is incredible. Now, I must be content with other things…like gardenias.:) It is strange though, that in our remembrances the sense of smell is so powerful.
Yes, it is strange how a smell can instantly transport us to another place and time.
Tis the season now for all those comforting aromas in the kitchen. I just saw a recipe for pumpkin spice muffins…I think I will have to try them!
Pumpkin spice muffins are very good!
Yes! 🙂 🙂 🙂
What an absolutely resplendent piece! A feast for the soul and the eyes! Your poetry and your photography are magnificent! Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 I do love the garden in every season. It brings me a lot of joy.
Linda, you have shared such beauty with the winter pansies. They are as resilient as we are when we faithfully listen to our Lord. The Scripture choices have added much to my day.
Thank you! As you say, we are like those hardy pansies in the snow; we must trust God at all times, even when the snow drifts mount.
Beautifully said, and what a good lesson for us all! Dreams most certainly can take shape even in deep Winter, with God’s help. BTW, I’ve tried to follow your blog several times, but it never seems to work. It always says that I’ll get an email to confirm, but I never get one. I’m not complaining, I just want you to know there may be a glitch with WordPress….and also that I would very much like to get all of your wonderful posts!!
Thank you Ann! I will have my son, the computer expert, look at my computer! Wishing you a wonderful morning! 🙂
The weight of winter, indeed. It’s too cold, even for winter pansies here in New England. And I LOVE pansies. As a matter of fact, when I was a child I told everyone my name was PANSY, not Pamela. 🙂
I love that! Pansy is a cute name! New England is beautiful, with or without the pansies! We went to Vermont to ski when I was a child. I have fond memories of those times. We ate our maple syrup with snow…such a happy thing! 🙂