“Either somebody who loves you did it or something mystical is going on,” Megan said, turning her head to the side as if to say, “You tell me.” My coworker had noticed what was happening in front of our office.
“Either way, I’m glad,” I smiled.
While doing repairs last fall, the utility company pummeled the flower box in front of our office. Gratefully, they emptied all the soil, placed new blocks with precision, and replaced perennials I’d planted over the years—-roses, coneflower, salvia.
Weeks later, in a corner of the box, large heart shaped leaves appeared out of nowhere. On this September day, Megan saw a moonflower growing. Moonflowers do not survive a Nebraska winter, nor had the landscapers planted it. Kevin loves me and had sent me a bouquet of flowers that day, but he made no claim to the moonflower.
Moonflowers are a big and beautiful trumpet shaped flowers of iridescent white. Blooming on in the dark, they are sensitive to the changes in light, and patiently wait until nightfall to unfurl. Their fragrance is enchanting.
The life of each blossom ends after a single day.
It’s a big and bold trumpet when it blooms. But I find it at its most beautiful before it opens. It’s stunning spiral of potentiality fills me with the promise of possibility.
The final days of summer are here. Each morning we awaken without the sun and each evening watch it set too soon for our liking. We know more darkness is coming.
The moonflower is said to be the symbol of transition and of blossoming in dark times. I don’t know whether it was delivered by a mystery planter or a mystical messenger. Either way I’m glad to be reminded that even in dark times, beauty will bloom as the seasons change.
I’ll savor the preciousness of the beauty here for a single day or a single night. A fall full moon is just days away.
Have you ever had a needed message magically appear?
How do you find beauty in dark days?
What possibilities may blossom for you in your next season
