Winter Flower

Today was very cold and as I sat this morning eating breakfast, I saw this image outside the window - very beautiful flower and branches.  As I was drawing this, I saw a hummingbird and a few bees pollinating the flower.  As cold as it was, the flower brings forth a warmth in the midst of winter!

Then I began to think about something my daughter said to me as she went to sleep last night - how everything in life is a cycle, even things like businesses, and stuffed animals.  Her thought was that everything starts "flat" like a stuffed animal that hasn't been filled yet, and then it gets filled up, and becomes "alive".  Then she said eventually the stuffed animal loses it's filling, and eventually becomes flat again.  Then she brought forth another analogy of the cycle of life.  She said a business is the same as the stuffed animal;  it starts out with only 1 or 2 employees and not a lot of work to do (i.e. "flat"). Then the business starts to get bigger and better, and gets "filled up" as more employees are added and/or more work begins to fill the business.  Eventually the business becomes "flat" again when the business loses work or closes its' doors.  Listening to a child's analogy of the cycle of life was so interesting and thought-provoking!

As I begin my week, this flower reminds me of of that cycle of life - it started out as a bud ("flat") and then became a blossom and will eventually fall off the branch and become "flat" again.   We can all appreciate this cycle and learn to love the beautiful moments in life as they are right in front of us.  Wow, great reminder of the cycle of life as told by a child :)