I grew up in Portland, Oregon, the City of Roses. Our home was fronted by a long white picket fence that for many months of the year was draped with red roses. The flowers of rose plants have always enthralled me, whether they be early buds or fully-opened blooms.

For the last ten years, I have been growing my own roses in Maryland. The climate is not as hospitable to roses as that of Oregon, but I’ve had enough success to give me both pleasure and soul-stirring satisfaction. My roses also offer  great wisdom for living. Here are four examples:

• Life is short, so savor each bloom every day—even if a bloom is healthy, it will too soon dry up and return to the earth.

• Be careful of the thorns as you enjoy the beauty of the luscious blooms and verdant foliage. Pay attention to what you are doing.

• Beware of being judgmental. Even if the stems and leaves of the rose are rough or shriveled, the plant can still produce beautiful blooms.

• Even if you do your best, your rose garden may not always thrive. That’s life.

SUGGESTIONS:

1. My heart soars when I see the the first blooms of the season with their velvety petals and rich colors. Double Delight, the hybrid tea rose shown above, is my favorite with its fragrance and classic pearl color with red edges. Find something in your life that gives you pleasure and devote time to it. Think of babies, children, poetry, music, or books. Savor. Take a deep breath. And thank God.

2. Without being mindful we cannot enjoy the beauty or fragrance of a rose--or anything else. The longer I live, the more I realize that staying in the present moment is the key to both spiritual and emotional health. It has take me a long time to understand this…and it will take longer for me to more fully become mindful. A book that helped me understand the spiritual side of mindfulness is The Sacrament of the Present Moment by de Caussade.

3. Think about the symbolism of roses. To many of us red roses mean love and passion, yellow roses mean friendship and joy, and white roses mean purity and innocence. Marian Devotions to Our Blessed Virgin Mary often use roses to honor Mary, calling her “Mary, the Mystical Rose.” I use a lovely rosary devotional book called “Rosary Novenas to Our Lady,” first published in 1926 and updated since then to include the Mysteries of Light. The devotional relates each prayer to a rose and describes building a crown of roses for Mary. I love this prayer. Try it, especially if you like roses.

EXTRAS

“I enjoyed Donna sharing her life story and allowing me to learn about myself and learning new ways to grow in mind, body, and spirit.”

“It was a wonderful presentation—very thought provoking and left me wanting to read Donna’s book and learn more.”

“Donna’s openness and humility created an atmosphere of sharing and fellowship that allowed our group to share their faith and stores with each other that was uplifting and community building."

Last week I was honored to spend Friday evening with 55 women at Jesus the Divine Word Catholic Church in Huntingtown, Maryland, to lead a program called “Finding God and Abundant Health, My Story and Yours.” Thanks so much to Bobbie, Kathleen, Fr. Dakes, and the others who worked on this program, plus the powerful group of faithful women who participated. It really felt like God wanted me to be there with them. The quotes are from their evaluations. Contact me if you are interested in having me do something similar at your church or with your group.

Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, her podcast/vlog series Pop-Up Conversations on Health of Mind, Body, and Spirit, and programs at her church. She is the author of Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021), a recent best-seller on Amazon, 2022 Illumination Awards Gold Medal Winner, 2022 Reader Views Literary Award Gold Medal Winner, and 2022 Catholic Media Association First Place Awards.