It’s amazing how one tiny, wilted flower can instantly change a room.  This worn out gardenia bloom is permeating every corner of my family room right now and it’s power is amazing.  I went from tired and worn out (very much like this bloom actually!) to content and happy in the amount of time it takes me to inhale a slow, deep breath of heady scent.  It reminds me of my childhood.  It floods my tired brain with sweet memories… memories I wish sometimes I could go back and relive.  Surely a second time around I would absorb more, I would notice more and most importantly love more.

A pathetic looking bloom yes.  But one wiff makes me thankful.  The evening breeze blowing over it and carrying the scent through my hair as I do dishes makes me count my blessings.  All of a sudden I want to freeze time to make sure I absorb all the details of this evening.  I want to study the details of my children’s faces and the sound of their voices and of my husbands laugh as he listens to their funny stories about their day.

I am content.

I am happy.

I am forgiven and free.

I am been blessed beyond measure by my Savior who doesn’t see my tired, wilted petals but delights in the aroma of my thankful heart.