The first thing one sees, upon entering our house through the front door, is a glass-enclosed atrium, approximately 10×10 and open to the sky. Inside the atrium are a small waterfall and a little pool. Animated by a hidden circulating pump, the two water features bring inside the house the sight and sound of one of Nature’s wonders. Around the water in all directions, a few plants and assorted flowers complete the picture.
A day or two ago I was looking at the scene and enjoying the quiet when I happened to notice a beautiful white blossom in the process of unfolding. Not having seen it before, I mentioned it to Sara Faye and asked if she had observed it. Looking briefly at the new bloom and the greenery around it, she asked, “Do you know where that came from?” I confessed total ignorance and she continued. “That is a peace lily,” she said, “which was part of a potted flower arrangement sent to you by Tony and Cindy following your back surgery in July 2012. The plant beside it came from the same arrangement, which was so beautiful I transplanted part of it to the atrium.”
Of course I had to tell our friends who had sent the flowers originally. “There you have it,” I observed. “Two years after you gave it, this pure white flower lives on. Like all your good deeds and acts of kindness, it still beautifies its environment, cheers and encourages those who observe it, and reminds us of the peace we can see in nature at its best—the peace that guards our hearts and minds as we remain ‘open to the sky’—indeed, open to the Creator who made waterfalls, running streams, peace lilies and each one of us.”