Is a Rose Just a Rose?

Our Quaker meeting rents a space inside a Jewish shul and because of this, we never know what we may find when we enter the building on any given Sunday. Our Jewish friends might have left us apples to eat, or the meeting room could be decorated in artful Hebrew prayers. But often there are flowers.

On this particular Sunday three vases of roses bloomed atop the windowsills. Modest colored glass panes with dimpled, wavy textures created impressionistic paintings out of the lawn, parking lot and sky. Light danced across petals evoking a luminous, fiery presence.

I was struck by the simplicity of what I beheld: flowers, containers, windows, light. And yet I was infused with emotion—a perilous ecstasy brought on by a sense of overwhelming beauty. Would I fall headlong into Presence? Faint into the hand of God?

I am always on the brink of Divine Encounter. It is simply how I perceive the world. For me, a rose is not just a rose—it is also a conduit to the Creator.

All photos © Sondra Sula.

If you like these blogs, you’ll most likely enjoy my daily devotional book, Meditations on Mendocino by Sondra Sula. Available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.