Have you thought about the delicate and fragile softness of each individual petal of a rose? Did you know that a single rose can have up to 40 petals each? If you happened to receive roses for Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, then you were able to combine these holidays with more meaning and depth through the rose. The rose is a symbol of the love you shared on Valentine’s Day with someone very special to you, and roses are symbolic to religion. The rose…keeps coming up in my life, so I’ve decided to incorporate it into my 40 days of lent this year.
I usually give something up for Lent…a sacrifice for the holiday like wine and chocolate…YIKES! This year, I’ve decided to “add something” to my life during these 40 days. I found 40 page journals for my husband and I and added our names, a ribbon bookmark with hearts all over it, and a sticker with 2 hearts in 1. As we turn the pages of our lives each day for the next 40, we are to do an action, thought, or reflection about each other. Each day we keep track of our responses and look forward to what happens as we journey down this new adventure. I gave my husband the journal on Valentine’s Day along with 3 red roses…I’m sure that was the last thing he wanted to receive:) We are now only a few days in, but it has already been a breath of fresh air to our relationship. As they always say…anything you put time and care into grows…a relationship, a business, a meaningful and fulfilling life is yours for the taking if you choose to put time into it.
A few years ago I had a life changing event with a single rose and my family. After the event…I had a 4 hour drive home and kept thinking about this single rose and wrote a song…The chorus goes…Our lives are like a flower, we bloom and die to soon, with every fragile petal ~ our beauty is revealed… Just as the petals are delicate, soft, and beautiful, this 40 day journey will symbolize the journey of the rose with one petal at a time being revealed…