Flowering Fridays: Sedum Autumn Joy
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 8:06PM
Shannon Jackson Arnold in flowering fridays, flowers, my journey

I love fall. The crispness in the air. The radiant colors. The chance to wear a wool sweater and a scarf. But I also go through a bit of grieving for the passing of summer, saying goodbye to my beloved garden and all my outside flower friends that were cultivated this year. 

But really there are many flowers to celebrate in fall: the chrysthanemums, for one. And these sedums, which I only recently learned were called (what else?) autumn joy. 

I am slowly but surely learning that every season has its gifts, its special treasures and its unique offerings.

Of course, I'm not only speaking about the actual seasons, but the seasons of my life. The times when things are busy, and the times when things are slow. The times when I feel ripe with ideas and the times when my ideas resemble a barren field. 

My opportunity is to remember to pause and ask: Where is the joy in this? What about this moment can I celebrate? What is there for me to learn?

Right here, right now. Exactly as it is. 

When I can pause and ask myself such an expansive question, I find that I do find the joy in the moment, I do find much to celebrate and I do find important learnings for my development.

There is a Gary Zukav quote that I like that speaks to the power of what you are choosing to see:  “Reality is what we take to be true. What we take to be true is what we believe. What we believe is based upon our perceptions. What we perceive depends upon what we look for. What we look for depends upon what we think. What we think depends upon what we perceive. What we perceive determines what we believe. What we believe determines what we take to be true. What we take to be true is our reality.”

Tell me, where is the joy, the celebration and the learning in the season you are in, right now, exactly as it is? 

*********

Flowering Fridays is a weekly look at flowers through the lens of what they have to teach us about flowering fully in our life. Past editions are here.

Article originally appeared on Shannon Jackson Arnold :: Bloom into healing, hope and happiness (http://www.shannonjacksonarnold.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.