Chicory or cornflower is blooming on the island, lining the road near the park. Whenever I see the sky-blue blossoms, I am suddenly swept back into my childhood. One summer I had to cross a busy street to reach vacation Bible school. As a group of us waited for traffic to clear, I stared at the chicory awash with color in a nearby vacant lot, mirroring the blue of the sky. Each morning in school we sang, “God is in the flowers and the birds that sing—God is everywhere!” My attention was captured by God’s presence in the chicory, as if I could watch him at work in the flower. Perhaps then I could see him at work in my childhood innocence; perhaps I still can. I pray, God, you will give us both a world that is beautiful and eyes to appreciate that beauty. I thank you, Lord, for being in those chicory blossoms and for welcoming me into your world here on earth and your world above in Heaven. Amen.
