My Glasses and My Word (That’s All I Need)

My Phlox My decades-old bed of phlox bursts alive in the spring. Its purples and pinks compete with the lovely tulips surrounding it. Though I plant tulips every two-three years, and greatly admire their pink, red, red-and-white, yellow, and purple-that-is-nearly-black uplifted petals, I love the hues of my phlox even more. I think God designed them this way on purpose: the tulips share their loveliness for a longer time; the phlox almost dazzle me with their short-lived brightness. I once tried to capture the phlox’ beauty with some water colors, and used the result as the cover for a greeting card. Another time, unthinkingly, I almost committed “floracide.” Attempting to discourage the growth of a little oak tree, I spritzed the area with an all-purpose weed killer. The poor phlox came out by the handfuls, brown and brittle. I wanted to cry. However, what was left proved hardy enough to recover and again, celebrating spring, spread its beauty over the rocks. Its transient colors leave me wishing its flowers would remain vivid and bright forever! I do love my phlox!