by Jane Torvaney, Scotland

Last night when I came home from work I took a cup of tea out and sat in the garden. As I looked around me, taking in the vibrant colours of the flowers and their different shapes and sizes, I witnessed the ease with which they interacted with nature. The wind was blowing ever so gently, causing ripples of movement across their delicate leaves and petals. An abundance of insects were busy in the soil beneath and flies, bees and beautiful butterflies were flying around, sometimes choosing to land and explore the surface of the leaves or, in the case of bees, venturing deeper into the heart of the bloom in search of pollen.  

I remembered how back in early springtime I planted some tiny seeds wondering what would emerge later in the year. At the time I could feel the potential in the seeds, everything was there ready, the beautiful flower was already within the seed, its amazing colour and shape patiently waiting to get out and express itself and interact with all around it.

All that was needed for it to grow and blossom was the nurturing sun, the soil and water.

As I sat in the garden last night I thought about how it is for us as human beings. How, just like the seed we too are born complete with everything already inside us. We are simply bundles of love expressing who we are within the world.

This love never ever leaves us, but whether we grow up holding it tight in a bud or whether, like our flowers, we allow it to blossom, depends on our choices – our choice to nurture ourselves truly and deeply, our choice to say yes to life and our choice to commit to it fully with all the love we know we are and always have been….. a choice to grow our own Love!