I have three small bowls with gardenias floating in them around the house this morning. It is a cool and cloudy morning and I've opened every window and door to air out the house. While outside, I noticed that one of my gardenia bushes was loaded with blooming gardenias.... the bushes were a Mother's Day gift last year and still relatively small so I had to stoop down low to breathe in the sweetly strong scent and it brought a smile to my face.
Why keep them on the bushes outside? The blooms only last a day or two outside, so I chose to bring their loveliness inside for admiration all day long! I picked several and now have these pretty bowls in my kitchen, office and living room.
My hubby first brought me gardenias when we were dating in high school. I'd place them in some water and a small pyrex dish and put them on the nightstand in my bedroom where I could smell them while studying (or, kissing him of course!). I have a wooden puzzle box with a secret compartment that he made me many Christmases ago ... filled with old gardenias from our dating days. Each time I open this box, the smell of wood and flowers drifts up to greet the grin on my face.
A gardenia given before an afternoon bike ride... Several given in a corsage for the prom... One with a crimp in the stem from when I wore it in my hair... the petals are leathery and endure the jostlings of being touched time after time.
I will stop and smell these gardenias many times today and remember good times that have passed. And good times still to come.
Have a wonderful day!
