The Purpose of the Bloom

I met a man in a store.
A kind man who runs a small business.

Somehow we began to talk about gardens and he mentioned that there was a woman who had approached him and asked him to dig a garden for her.
Naturally, I asked if he also had a gardening business on the side.
He raised his eyebrows and looked at me quizzically, probably assessing if I was a crazy woman for asking such a thing of him.
He then laughed and firmly stated that no, he did not do gardening as a business.
I was interested in why a woman would come to him and ask him to do this chore then. Maybe it was an elderly neighbour who couldn't tend to the task herself, and needed a strong man to handle it.
I was ready to assign him that role.

That must be it.

I smiled.

But, he said something about that woman, that made me wonder who she was exactly.
Then he revealed that the woman was his wife.
And he laughed again.
He was quite amused at the idea that his wife wanted a garden.
A flower garden, at that.
He thought it was a silly idea.
Why on earth would someone want a flower garden created?
Now, if was vegetables, that made sense. There would be a harvest. It would be useful.
But flowers?
He scoffed at the idea of having to dig out a plot and prepare the soil so his wife could plant flowers. He saw it as a waste of time and strength on his part.

I tried to explain it to him, and ended up saying something like this :
"But a flower garden is relaxing. Peaceful."
He didn't see it that way. He foresaw aching muscles, sweat dripping down his face, a wasted afternoon. Not very relaxing or peaceful for him.
True enough.

When I left the store, we were probably thinking the same thing about the other :
"Wow. I can't believe the thought process here."
We looked at each other, and silently agreed to disagree and move on.

Which got me to thinking ~ what is the purpose of a flower garden? What is the purpose of the bloom?

It is simple.
My whole line of it being about relaxation and peace giving rings true. What a balm to the soul a beautiful garden can be.
And there is still a harvest.
A harvest of tranquility.
A harvest of fascination.
A harvest of admiration.
A harvest of praise to the One who is Creator.

I often wonder what the Garden of Eden looked like. How utterly amazing it must have been.
I wonder if Adam and Eve ever just sat down in awe.
Did they wonder about the myriad of colours and shapes that God created?
Did they marvel at His awesome creativity?
Did they wonder why God allowed them to be surrounded by such beauty?
Did they smile, holding hands, wandering through the greatest garden ever?

I wonder.

But this I do know :
The bloom brings joy.
The bloom brings hope.
The bloom brings colour and life.
The bloom brings beauty.

God created it all.

I think it makes Him smile.