lavender

Good Friday, Good Morrows

Purple, the color of royalty and spirituality, also a color of mourning for the many Eastern Orthodox Christians who consider Good Friday the day of mourning for both the Lord Jesus and those who have passed on, as the next day is the Sabbath and the celebration of LIFE, and the resurrection to the afterlife. Thus, why I chose to bring lavender as an offering from our Spring Garden.

Lavender is a medicinal herb, can be a tea ☕️ (many health benefits, but not to be drunk by pregnant women or young boys) made into delicious candies, crushed into sachets to ward off moths and mosquitoes, and used for stress reduction as its strong smell and pressed oil is often preferred by massage therapists and others. Even by the bees 🐝!

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Pexels.com

Step by step crutch by crutch I was determined to make my “march” after 2 months of being almost exclusively at home due to a broken foot. It felt like a 2nd Covid lockdown but as Dr. Ed Tick said, perhaps 🤔 it was a mere “next step” into another life phase. There were low days, days of anger at my predicament, of relying on others, of being “forgotten” but this was self-pity which can be refined to a more realistic stoic philosophy, in increasing one’s resilience. And as Saint Paul preached to the Corinthians … love is patient, love is kind — best showcased with the beautifully sung hymns of Petros Gaitanos.

Petros Gaitanos, Byzantine hymns, 1st Letter to the Corinthians, Epistle of Saint Paul.


Those in midlife who look forward to their next 50 years can offer good advice to younger generations, for all who will listen. We need to take life’s “crumbs” to make something out of them, for ourselves, our children and our future generations. This is one of the 5 life rules that well-esteemed actor Michael McConaughey gave to graduates:

5 rules for the rest of your life

Poems about new beginnings and the Resurrection, offer life perspective, Spring comes to give us for new and renewed energy.
Transcendental poet John Donne wrote “The Good-Morrow” to hail the brief dream he had of his love (read it on Poetry Foundation site). Let’s heed these lessons for Good Morrows are yet to be born my friends! 🙏🏼

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April showers bring May flowers and..?

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We all know the quote “April showers bring May flowers” and indeed we are happy when all the rain subsides into beautiful rainbows and the blossoms of Spring.  I particularly liked this woman’s creation of Alice in Wonderland in MyFairyGardens.com. Alongside all the birds chirping their mating songs, our little insect friends (lady bugs, bees, ants) and perhaps “foes” (mosquitoes etc.) many people suffer from seasonal allergies that have some symptoms similar to colds do you know the difference?

How many are health literate about how insects pollinate and know that many are useful and needed for a healthy ecosystem? As a matter of fact big companies like Bayer-Monsanto may be taking insect reppellent “killer” chemicals too far ….some accusations of altering the genetic mix of mosquito and thus creating dangerous illness like the Zika virus.  I’ve been thinking of all those years of preparing for summer nights with harsh mosquito repellents only to find that there are more natural ways to help us and our children — as a matter of fact do people know we can easily plant both lavender and citronella plants to both attract bees and to repel unwelcome mosquitoes?

Many of us are educated about allergies but do we know to consult with professionals who can help us determine what we suffer from most and how over years this may change? Understanding how our immune system works and the basics of allergies like hay fever which may “look like a cold” is important health information, as also understanding and recognizing potential allergens (common food allergens are peanuts or shellfish, many people are allergic to bee stings), accessing necessary servies.  The last part is critical as we can potentially have life threatening reactions, some may need to always carry with them an Epi-pen or syrups/medicine like anti-histamines. Terms that enrich our fundamental literacy such as ‘allergen’ ‘intolerance’ or ‘sensitivity’ can help us better communicate with our healthcare providers or find relevant information on the internet, there is so much for us to know…. Mayo Clinic has a good basic description of the difference between a food allergy vs. food intolerance and generally good reputable sites are ones to look up in enhancing our own health literacy.

Come into May with a good healthy Spring attitude… you owe it to yourelf, your family, community to:

  • learn more about how to attract good insects and repel those not-so-friendly or good for our health ones
  • understand allergies (seasonal, food) and potential allergens to avoid
  • advocate for healthier ecosystems and responsible corporate practices