It has been a glorious April. Though we still have days of rain, the warm weather has been bestowed on us earlier this year. By April, spring flowers have been blooming one after another. We went downtown to view the Yashino cherry trees in proud display of their soft pink gowns, gently swaying in the wind. Japanese say that the tree reminds us of our blissful existence in this world. I couldn't help, but to bring back one from the nursery. May be if I live long enough, I could see the sway and the petals covered ground.

Back home, my front garden is like a pastel color board - pink, yellow, white , purple, soft blue from the tulips, rock crest, candy turf and forget-me-not. There are more in the back yard. Soon the rhododendrons will add more colors to the existing ones. It feels so good to dig my fingers into the warm earth again. Though with each year, my muscles and bones make more and more protest, it is still worth it.

This year, I sowed the seeds from last year's sweet peas, they are already couple inches tall. It was such joy to see their little green heads poked through the ground. If no natural disaster descend on them, I shall have plenty for cut-flower. It used to be an old time favorite because they are such hardy little beauties with sweet fragrance.

The nasturtiums also came out from the seeds from the previous years. I guess I am wiser not to plant  things which do not bear good result. Another wonder is the fall lantern plant which I had coveted for several years. I found the price in the nursery a bit ridiculous. We had it in the old home by the yards. It is a plant which could take over your flower bed easily. So last year I tried germinating them, but was met with failure. I put the pot into the garage in the fall. This spring, when I retrieved the pot, I found something 4 cm long but 1/10 of the thickness of bean sprouts on top of the dry dirt. Well, I hope they are the real thing and not just weeds.

My water plant from two years ago still lives. I wretch my brain to find it a hot enough spot to park but not to attract mosquitos. Two years ago it almost gave me a pink water lily.

Amazingly, my soft yellow violet pansies with faint purple edge do not mind the soggy 'water bowl' they are in and come back just as gorgeous this year. I bought some more to fill in the empty space. Just can't take my eyes off them.

My azaleas, iris, peonies, roses, mock orange, lilac, clematis, poppies, columbines, lilies.........Can't wait to say 'hello' to you after months of separation!

I love the sayings

I love the sayings:

'Sow a thought,
reap an action.
Sow an action,
reaps a habit.
Sow a habit,
reaps a character.
Sow a character,
reaps a life.'

- What goes out will come back (boomerang effect.)
- If you plant beans, you get beans. If you plant melon, you get melon
- Better to die well than to be born well.
- Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows

Once a child asked me, "Why do you have to make everything a lesson?" I wish I knew how to answer her to her satisfaction.

Now that I am older and have seen enough 'life,' I would like to say to her, "It is because I want to have peace in the last few years of my life when most of me will be falling apart."

The followings are lessons I gleaned from other people's lives:

A lovely couple who both had hard feelings in God due to the early part of their lives, decided to make it out on their own.  The later part of their lives were even harder than what was previously.

A man who short changed his partners after making use of them, abandoned and distrusted those whom he was supposed to love and to support. In the end was abandoned by 'his most trusted friends 'and lives out a lonely life in the corner of his own making.

A girl who ridiculed her young widowed mother's faith, made many wrong decisions which affect her own life. She also experienced many sickness and death among those whom she love because of her bias counselling to them.

A self-centred girl who had the practice of saying unkind words to her siblings and others, grew up to do the same thing to her own family. Now others have to leave her to her own device. She complaints being very lonely bitterly..

A God fearing couple who shared the love of Jesus to everyone around them, even strangers,  live to see their family and  great grand children around them affectionately.

A woman who used others, was in turn used by them . She had a beautiful place to live, but she could not feel it 'home.'

A couple, whose goals in life was to make lots of money and to enjoyed 'good food', has in the end, gained the two but lost each other.

Another couple whose goal was to acquire power, fame and money ended up in disarray in finance, health and relationship.

A hard working couple, whose priorities are their jobs, family and big house they owned, both died in their 50's.

Yet, I believe it was not out of anger God let that happened, but out of love, to give them opportunities to find out what is important in life.


'Lord, teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.' (Psalm 90:12)