We all have our little rituals, and one of mine, as I come up to my front door, is to stop and choose the newest bloom of my climbing Zephirine roses to breathe in their heady scent. I can take no credit for these beautiful pink roses, as I inherited them when I bought the house.

Roses have such a history, dating back some 5,000 years, and they have evolved into so many varieties. Of course, they have also been cultivated almost to death, so that many modern roses no longer have a scent because the enzyme RhNUDX1 has effectively been bred out of them. That is more than sad, because a rose is not just about beauty, as its fragrance is a lure for pollinators, and in fact, the Damask rose, one of the old rose varieties, is the plant used to make Rose Damascena, or Rose Otto, the therapeutic rose oil which has the highest vibration of any plant on this earth.

Most roses bloom between May and June, but these climbing varieties, encouraged by a mild spring, have bloomed earlier than usual to cheer us up during this mixed weather we have been experiencing.

Their symbolism is, of course, love if red, while yellow often represents friendship, white purity, orange energy and enthusiasm, and the beautiful pink at my front door speaks of gratitude, grace, and joy. In any case, their beauty catches the eye and, hopefully, their heady scent reminds us to figuratively stop and smell the roses in our own lives. We always have a moment.

We had many beautiful moments last night and such a lovely evening with Ann Marie Hogan, who shared such inspired thoughts and brought our wonderful messages. Thank you so much, Ann Marie, and thank you to Sarah, who chaired our evening beautifully.

We are also grateful for the prayers and readings from the family, the hospitality and cake from Sue and Carole, the music led by Julie, and our lovely healers who helped after the service. Thank you too for the quick set-up and break-down of the gathering.

PRAYER OF THE WEEK

Please pray for the animals in this world. They need so much help, whatever circumstances they are in. May humans move ever further towards kindness and understanding with them.

Calendar up tomorrow.

Have a beautiful week. A heatwave is on its way!

Stop and smell the heady scents of springtime.

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