A few weeks ago Len surprised me with a dozen garnet-red roses for my birthday. Their velvet petals—tight like cabbage leaves—were held close to their vest, trying to conceal their exotic, spicy scent, but it escaped anyway.
Several days later I was sitting in our living room waiting for the sun to wake its sleepy head. Before I knew it, its golden fingers had reached through the window and painted the now-unfurled, fragrant bouquet.
When was the last time you were painted by the sunrise?
© TuesdaysWithLaurie.com
Tuesdays with Laurie 
Thank you for the “love”ly story. I always enjoy your beautifully “painted” words and photos.
I have a beautiful colored prism on my desk in our bedroom, which was my mother’s. The desk sits in an eastern facing window of our gabled roof. On sunny mornings, Jordan and I watch the sunlight create rainbows, smile and remark that my mother (“Mimi”) is paying us a visit and her spirit is dancing on our bedroom ceiling or walls. Her favorite song that my father would sing to her was, “Your Are My Sunshine”. Our lives were and continue to be painted by the rainbow-filled sunshine and loving memories of my mother’s life.
Thank you for your post and the opporunity it gave me write about my mother (of blessed memory)!
Sheila – I love the story you shared about your mother’s colored prism and what it means to you and Jordan. It’s those kinds of remembrances that warm the heart.
Very nice gift to receive ! Beautiful!
Painted by sunshine… as you well know I am always on the look out for the sun gleaming out between the trees, refracted by stained glass, shimmered by a bubbling stream. I am often lucky enough when nature allows me to capture those moments…
Jeff – I’ve seen many a beautiful photograph of yours where you were able to capture the light in phenomenal ways.
ummmmmm…. nice!
I have a quote on my laptop that I like by Ivy Barker Priest.
It reads:
“The world is round, and the place that may seem like the end may actually, in fact, be only the beginning.”
I can sense the fragrance and can just imagine the beautiful moments you shared with Len with each days sunrise unfolding. new beginnings.
My personal experience of being painted by the sunrise… love that concept… recently I was helping set up a skateboard tournament. I was filming and getting the set ready so was helping our crew clean up the candy wrappers and trash from the day before. Three of the skateboarders arrived and just started helping and asked if we’d join them in Tai Chi form of meditation. It was about i6AM… crispy and the energy and the sun just spilled its warm rays on the moment.
Kathy – That’s a terrific quote and I’m glad you shared it here. Equally enjoyable is the story you shared about the skateboarders inviting you to join them for Tai Chi — now that’s COOL!
Love the photo of the roses – both of them. What a poetic thought – being painted by the sunrise! On sunny mornings I am treated to a prism display of “art” on the walls of my studio where I meditate and journal. I adore that! On gray days I make my own celebration of light with candles.
Hugs
Susan
Susan – I love that when you don’t have a sunny morning that graces you with natural “art” on your studio walls, you make your own light celebration with candles. You go, girl!
I have to say…on the Feastday of St Therese…I found a rose petal in the slot in my pew at church…….sent from heaven….A red petal…..
Thinking thinking….
Kim – A red rose petal on your pew at church. No doubt placed there by the hand of God.
What a beautiful image and thought Laurie, roses painted by sunrise. And the fact that they were given with love and from the heart shines through in your words and lovely photos.
The last time I was painted by sunrise (literally!) was when visiting with my Mom in Alberta. We watched an early October sunrise that was breathtaking, all the more precious as she is 90 years old and we were able to share this special moment.
Colleen – That you and your 90-year old mother got to share a sunrise is a gift. No, it’s more than that…it’s a blessing.
Happy (belated) birthday and congratulations on building a loving relationship.
Ah, painted by sun shine–not a early morning occurance, but never the less spectalure. It had rained that day, but stopped before my walk. The path led through the forest, but I stopped by a glowing tree. I stood there marvelling at its beauty and feeling connected to the Great Unknown. Peace. Joy. Love. Belonging. My heart was full. Then a dog barked and the moment was over.
Leanne – The word picture you you painted about the glowing tree brought to mind a time when Len and I were in the Redwood Forest and a shaft of light cut through the gray clouds overhead and somewhat like a spotlight, highlighted a small section of these gigantic, ancient wonders. The retelling of your experience stirred the memory of mine — thank you — that had been laying dormant far too long 🙂
Lovely pictures and roses – Belated Happy Birthday!
Saturday, Sunday and Monday of this week we awoke to heavy rain and fog and then the sunshine broke through and we had just gorgeous cold crisp days….Zip and I did not get rained on once….today is full on grey….we can remember the sun breaking through and de-lighting our walk
Patricia – I’m so glad you and Zip got treated to the sunshine breaking through 🙂
Laurie it was today I was painted by the sunrise from up in the studio loft as it came through the window and the skylight while I was reading a selection of Muriel Rukeyser’s poetry. Here are a few lines from “The Speed of Darkness” which remind me of your post today…
– Time comes into it.
Say it. Say it.
The universe is made of stories,
not of atoms. –
And so it is Laurie when we are painted by the sunrise and your story 🙂
Terill – Because I’ve seen photographs of your studio loft I can picture it well. And all the more special because you wrapped it in lines from “The Speed of Darkness” — wonderful!!
Happy Birthday, Laurie! What a lovely surprise from Len and a beautiful painted word tribute of thanks for the beauty that is obvious in your life. My townhouse faces east and, when I lived there, the sunrise came through the large patio doors that lead from my kitchen to the deck so I was greeted every single morning. I only get to see it occasionally now (I see more sunsets). Thank you for sharing your lovely photos.
Barbara – I’m so glad you popped in for a visit. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos, and thank you for the birthday wishes 🙂
Your birthday roses are beautiful, Laurie!
As I write this the sun is rising outside my window, painting the clouds and trees in gorgeous shades of blue, purple, yellow and orange. As the show proceeds George Harrison’s song is playing n my head…
“Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes”
~ George Harrison
Barbara – I’m so glad you shared that song this morning, now I’m going to have it in my head and heart all day long. What a great, upbeat tune to dance through the day with, thank you 🙂
How beautiful Laurie! Those roses are phenomenal 🙂
Today I wish the sun could have been out more than just this morning or else I would have found an excuse to sneak out side! So in the mean while, just going to rest my head back, close my eyes, and act like my light bulb is the sun……soaking it up baby!
Catie – soak away, friend. Soak away 🙂
I am thinking with fondness of Len’s gift of roses to you. And how you described them so fragrantly. I am thinking of a recent time painted by a sunset. It wasn’t me, though. It was three children and a big galloping dog playing around a large white house up in Houghton (on our way back home from Calumet). It was a magical painting. But, unfortunately, I could not get all four subjects and the sun into one photo. Darn it.
Kathy – No need for a photograph, I can easily picture it in my mind because you paint the best word pictures.
I like this post.
Like the Buddhist say you can learn a lot just be observing and all knowledge leads to self knowledge.
I will reply to this post using the above statement.
When i look at the flower from a self point of view, the one thing that jumps out at me is that the flower needed something to open itself up to its full potential and beauty, that being the sun.
For us humans, we could learn a lot by just this small gesture. This flower reached its full potential and beauty by one small change. For us, that small change could be a simple change in our beliefs and philosophy that will make us reach our full potential and beauty.
To me, people are at the most beautiful when they realize they can reach there full potential and beauty, just like this flower. And because we can only do what we know best at any given time because we don’t know any better, we might need someone, or something to come into our life for a little while to make us reach our full potential and beauty just like the sun did to the flower.
This maximum beauty could be described as someone reaching self actualization, and a state of transcendence. Meaning you are motivated to realize your full potential, and you realizing that god is manifested in you and in everything therefore your in a constant state of transcendence. That you are an instrument of god, and that your thoughts and ideas can be physical in the universe and you can use your free will to be a creator. Someone may be born in a gutter and reach this place, or someone maybe born with a silver spoon in there mouth and not reach this state. That’s the power of free will.
When i say “god” i’m talking about the universe, time, and space, and consciousness that is a miracle that i call god. If you don’t think it’s a miracle, how could consciousness arise from matter. Because that in itself is a miracle.
Joseph – I love the way you used the roses as an analogy to explain the Buddhist saying — beautiful.
Most days the sun paints its way across our bedroom wall in the morning, but the last two mornings have been cloudy, so the last time would have been 3 days ago.
Ted – Yes, and I imagine that it probably comes in at a different angle, depending on the season. Somewhat like a sundial, Len points out the height that the sun reaches on the wall, and the angle that the sun comes in the kitchen window, depending on the season.
If the Sun is over the horizon as I am releasing the Chicken Ladies from their Condo for the day, we smile and wink at each other. I don’t mind if the Girls are inside till as late as 9:00 a.m., but they sure do! They remind me that time is flying by, grabbing my attention with squawks, long-drawn out moans and unflattering noises about my character. I can hear them plainly through the walls of my house – and they know it. Better to run out in my sweats in the Dawn light than have the neighbors think I am inhumane and cruel to these little busybodies.
Sandi – I can just see you dashing across the yard in your sweats like a blur to let the Chicken Ladies out so the neighbors don’t see you! And I know your neighbors don’t mind their noise whatsoever. After all, they’re on the receiving end of many a fresh egg! They know a good thing when they hear it.
The sun is getting weaker, and the darkness is setting in earlier, so all I have to do is blink and I’ll miss the sun setting. As far as the sunrise it happens when I’m still in in the horizontal position. I must ask Lucille this question though, since she sees it happening. Ha!
The roses are magnificent.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURIE!!!!!!!!
I am ashamed I came to this post late to hear this news!!!
Sam – Thank you for the birthday well wishes. I turned 54 this year — still two years behind Len, and always will be 🙂
Well, I am one year older than Len!
Sam – In our fifties now, we’re just beginning to gather real momentum. The best is yet to come 🙂
What beautiful roses. How sweet of your hubby to surprise you with such a lovely gift.
Ann – The roses were absolutely lovely, and smelled “spicy” delicious, too.