6/30/2023

When I was in high school, I took botany. I am not sure why because I did not inherit my grandmother Louise's green thumb but I remember learning lots about plants through drawings. Maybe it was because I liked the drawings. One of the things I remembered was inflorescence which is how the complete flower head of a plant is arranged. Queen Anne's Lace is a compound umbel which means there are stalks that branch out and then branch out again like starbursts. A rose has a single inflorescence as a beautiful single bud. However, some plants join together so that they too can attract the bees and other insects to notice them. The idea is that the little white flowers arrange themselves on these stalks to create a larger blossom. It reminds me of how the church or body of people following Jesus are supposed to work together. We each bring our talents, our beauty, ourselves for something greater. Sometimes, our pedals are smushed or missing but as a whole, we are able to serve in this world. 

Question: What kind of plants or parts of nature bring you joy? What gifts do you bring to the communities that you are a part of?