Last week they were there. This week, they’re gone.
I refer to the floral arrangements in the planters on Chicago’s Wacker Drive. These are bigger than you’re probably thinking: 8 feet wide x 32 feet long! Which means there’s no shortage of flower magic.
Whatever else you might think of Chicago’s city fathers, give them credit for this. Every summer, these planters burst with enchantment. Budding bushes, exotic leaves and outrageous blooms shout joy to commuters who tread an otherwise dreary concrete path.
Deaf to the Joy
Yet many appear deaf to the joy. Sadly, I suspect that all summer long, many folks walked by those planters and hardly noticed them. How many paused to grab a photo or simply wonder at the density of so much loveliness?
On my hike from the train station to the office, I pass a dozen of these massive displays. Merely glancing at them lifts your spirits. Their presence whispers there’s still something right in a world gone wrong.
All Gone
But this week, as I plodded down Wacker Drive, they were all gone. Those planters had been entirely cleaned out for the winter. Not so much as a faded bloom or torn leaf was left. Not even an imprint in the soil.
My first thought was, “Gee, I’m sure glad I took the time to enjoy those flowers while they were here.” Then came a more sobering notion. I was staring at a metaphor for life.
Litttle Impression
We grow and bloom and are taken away—with very little impression left behind. While we can’t change the certainty of death’s arrival, we can learn to celebrate the beauty in the lives blooming around us.
The question is, do we? Do we even notice the presence of our families and the kindness of friends? Or do we take their presence, their beauty for granted?
The beauty of our spouse, our children, our grandchildren. The beauty of brothers and sisters in our church family. The beauty of siblings and seniors. The beauty of friends—some new, some old.
There’s an Emptiness
Scripture assures us that beauty is fleeting—in flowers and people. And inevitably, there’s an emptiness that comes with their passing. You’ve heard all this before. But consider. How many times have you heard someone react to the death of a loved one by saying, “Just last week, I saw her…talked to him…and now they’re gone.”
Today’s takeaway: Let’s love them. Notice them. Appreciate them. Now. While they’re here!
LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. -Psalm 30:4
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay