The hyphen of life.

Philadelphus coronarius, Fragrant Mock Orange, any garden lovers dream, hardy and therefore easy to grow it smells absolutely divine in the summer sun, with a sweet Orange smell. For the past four years it has been creeping over from the neighbours garden fence at the back of us. When near the fence I could smell its sweet fragrant orange scent so beautiful and delicate.

So when I looked out of the window the past couple of days to see it had finally arrived in abundance over the garden fence and was billowing over the roof of my shed (sure makes the shed look prettier) I couldn’t wait To get out there with my pruning shears and take some cuttings!

I just love bringing fragrant flowers in my home, from the single rose I brought home from my walk the other day, to the two lonely peonies, it gives me so much pleasure every now and then to walk past them and smell them.

My children laugh, as if I’m a character from a movie in some dreamy version of life. But this is life, this is beauty sometimes we are so busy looking at the heavens - at the glory, mysteries and wonder of the infinite universe to stop and savour the fleeting beauty of all that is around us.

I was thinking about life a couple of weeks ago as I walked through the church yard with the little one all the dates on the headstones some a few hundred years old, some a few decades, some a few months. All those numbers, yet arguably the most important part of that stone, is the hypen between birth and death, that hyphen represents a life lived millions of moments, thoughts, love, tears and laughter.

We are sometimes so busy focusing on our differences in this world we sometimes forget what unites us. Nature, moments, that hyphen.

So stop and smell those flowers today on your walk. Or in your home and count your blessings at what a beautiful world we actually live in and do something small for someone today. No matter how small that will make them smile. Be a part of their hyphen, in the smallest of ways.