LIFE AFTER 50
extravaganza Choose to spend time with the flowers in your life Story and photos by Mike E. Walker
L
ike the miracle of childbirth, growing flowers from seed is a journey into the great mystery of life. Contained within each seed lies potential beauty, a dormant magnificence just waiting to explode. I bought a bag of wildflower mix from the Teller-Park Conservation District last year and was astounded by the dense, hearty field of color and texture that emerged. Add the power of sunlight, slanting and shadow-casting at dawn and dusk, and you find a photographer’s heaven awaiting capture. A favorite saying of mine is, “God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in the plants, walks in the animals, and thinks in you.” Whatever your personal definition of God may be, flowers most certainly are one way that the great mystery manifests. The profound sense of spirit when close to these plants leaves one speechless. The images speak for themselves. The two flower gardens where these photographs were taken were planted due to crisis and grief, respectively. The crisis was the failure of the septic system’s leach field, which required extensive repairs. The other garden was planted
22 | MAY 2022 |
WWW.LAFIFTY.COM
as a memorial to our Greyhound Willow, who was put to rest last spring. These pictures, from August 2021, are the result of a two-year process. I hope I can learn from the flowers. I do believe I understand their core message: Express beauty by your simple presence. I hope I can carry the peace their presence gives me and share it with others like they do—without expecting anything in return. Anchored to the earth, grounded in their awakened state, the joy they create is one born of the universe, each bloom a tiny galaxy in technicolor. I’m grateful for the peace and joy flowers offer in this often way-too-hectic world. ■
