African Marigolds are a metaphor for life. The red accents the yellow in the same way harder times often make the brighter ones richer.

The warmth of a steaming shower feels more blessed to bones fresh escaped from the chill of winter. The solace of friendship is magnified by the knowledge that a smile is often hard to find. In all things, the glory of the flower and the moment is fleeting, making life that much more precious.   

If you are reading this page, you have been gifted some Marigolds. For all their beauty, they will die in a few days or weeks. When they are done, you will be tempted to throw them in the garbage, as we do with so many things whose usefulness seems done.

But you should not because, even when faded, they can serve as a reminder that the winters of our lives are often mother to the seasons of goodness soon to come . . .

. . . like the 30-plus seeds you will find inside the sepal (the base) of each withered flower. And the hundreds of seeds of hope you will be able to give away next season if you plant a few and gift the rest to fiends and family in the same hopeful way these marigolds were gifted to you.