“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds around my neck.” (Emma Goldman). My love affair with roses began about ten years ago when I “inherited” 16 tea rose bushes from a friend who was moving away. Always loving roses, but without any knowledge of how to care for them, I agreed to take them. Under the tutelage of another Sister who had been raising roses for many years, the roses survived and continue each summer to bring a special touch of beauty to many. For me, the delight in raising roses comes in sharing them. It is a joy to bring a few roses to a Sister when she is ill, recuperating, for a special occasion or in appreciation of assistance given. To add a touch of beauty in an unexpected place, fresh roses are placed in a women’s restroom that is used by Sisters and guests. Sisters delight in the roses and the feminine touch they bring.
Sister Dale Wollum, OSB’s poem expresses my sentiments:
Nature’s Surprise
Cuddled deep down
protected by nature’s laws
lies a seed of God’s mystery
awaiting the moment of
surprise.
When gradually, one-one
petals open wide
displaying soft, velvety, red
red hues
in brilliant here-I-am Glory
praising God.
A picture-perfect,
nature-perfect-
head-held-high
Rose
Sister Dorothy Manuel, OSB
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