Late Bloomer Hydrangea

"Late Bloomer"

8" X 8" Oil on Panel

"Sharing"
8" X 10" Oil on panel

For those of you that think flowers can’t talk, well, you’d just better think again, as my mother would say.  While I had heard no audible words (thankfully), I’m telling you, she wouldn’t leave me alone.

She showed up about eight weeks ago.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I acknowledged her presence with a slight smile and a nod of my head, and I excitedly shared the news with my husband.   She was so late, we thought perhaps she, like many others, had fallen victim to our very harsh, recording setting winter.  

When spring emerged, we began to see whispers of green on her stems, but the ivy surrounding her remained a mess of intertwining brown vines.  Though she was slow to recover with stunted growth and absent foliage, it appeared she had survived! 

Endless Summer is her name  - a beautiful, normally prolific hydrangea bush that struts large pink, showy pom-poms against a mass of greens, ranging from very pale chartreuse to cool, dark blue-greens.

Our hope finally turned into reality as we watched a small mop of green grow into one single, yet strong cluster of bright pink and shoot straight up, towering over the top of the bush. She had survived the season’s yoke of oppression and burst forth into new life!  Her message, spoken only through her mere presence, remains loud and clear;

Even though we go through barren times – times where we feel in

chains, either circumstantial or self-imposed - there is hope for us captives as Jesus came to “set the us free, to release us from darkness, to grow us into oaks of righteousness, for the display of His splendor.” (Taken from Isaiah 61:1-3)

What is preventing us from being the prolific bearer of fruit that God created us to be?   It’s easier to remain a victim – blaming our circumstances, others, our limitations, the timing – any excuse not to own the problem.   Let’s surrender our “harsh winter” to Him, and allow Him to transform us into flourishing late bloomers – for the display of His splendor!

P.S.  I tried to paint the lone bloom within the context of our backyard setting, but it didn’t make a very interesting composition.   So, I used a reference from somewhere else, even though Endless Summer looked a lot like this one until just a few days ago!!!  I so appreciate her sharing her gifts!!!