The Garden Flowers

Beth, a nine-year-old girl, was known for her bad temper and was constantly creating problems with her classmates and friends. One day she was sitting on a bench with no desire to go to school.

Discouraged, she opened a book at random and stared at the text that read: “It is very sad to feel alone; we must seek to spread love everywhere, so that our path resembles a garden covered with flowers and affection. Whenever you have the urge to crush beautiful flowers in a garden, think about how that garden would look without flowers to brighten it.”

Then, reading those words, Beth reflected on how she had, with her behaviour, ruined beautiful and flowery gardens, only for the pleasure of destroying the gorgeous flowers that God had sent to colour those gardens.

Now on second thought, Beth gently reached out to touch the beautiful scented and colourful flowers, feeling the softness and beauty of those plants. Then the girl smiled sweetly, remembering that her mother always said to her: "Honey, do not ruin the flowers; they are blessings that the Lord sends us to brighten our lives."

So, thinking of her mother, Beth did not spoil the flower as she would like to by squeezing it in her hand. She reached out and gently touched the flower that was full of perfume.

She wanted to caress the flower, and as she did so she sensed a delicious odour in her hand, which reminded her of what her mother had told her.

Then Beth brought the flower closer to her heart and, thinking of her mother, tenderly took the flower home. When she arrived home, she found her mother in the kitchen fixing lunch.

Beth smiled and approached her mother from behind with the beautiful flower in her hand. Her mother smiled, took a deep breath and exclaimed:

- What a delightful scent, darling! Where did you get it?

- In a garden, Mom! Those flowers are beautiful and fragrant. I loved it!

The mother hugged her daughter affectionately, and said:

- Well, these are the most fragrant flowers I have ever smelled! It's the most beautiful gift I've ever gotten from you! Thank you so much, sweetheart!

And embracing the girl with love, she added:

- I’m going to keep this flower with a lot of affection, to have it always with me to perfume my life!

Both embraced and Beth, happy as ever, saw how easy it was to be nice to people and improve relationships. She told her mother about the phrase she had read in the garden: “Whenever you have the urge to crush beautiful flowers in a garden, think about how that garden would look without flowers to brighten it.”

From that day on, mother and daughter have never had relationship problems.

MEIMEI

(Psychographed by Célia X.de Camargo on 09/01/2018.)

Translation: 
Johnny Silveira / silveirajohnny@yahoo.com