And each year, pieces of my heart are stolen into that same slumber, deadening my senses until I am startled awake by an oddly warm kiss of a sunbeam on a chilly March day, or a chickadee’s trill in the bony lilac hedge, calling my attention to the catkins forming on their woody branches.

It quickly became apparent that I couldn’t write a meaningful, honest prayer over the life of my seeds without engaging my faith in the God who created them.

But as I followed my children back to our pew but couldn't stop thinking about how my six and eight-year-old children were called "man" and "woman". It wasn’t just my identity that was called to mind in that moment, it was my children’s.

After reading this, you'll know why you may want a ruby on hand when you’re scrambling to boil a pot of pasta for your unexpected dinner guests!

Battle-blood-blooms, shattered pieces of falling sky, and sixty-million-year-old fossils, what’s not to love? Dive in to the delectable myths, lore, and meaning of July’s Birth flowers.

Find out how Bloody Mary and actress Elizabeth Taylor share a history, and encounter the delicious tale of Cleopatra’s wager with Marc Anthony in this post about June birthstones! Oh, and, don’t forget about the baffled Russian miners around their campfire!

Find out strange myths, lores, and legends about the Emerald - including why I’d want to wear it during labor and delivery!

I find myself wondering if birthdays are celebrated on the other side of the veil. In whatever way you are held between shadow and light, between the Garden and the new Jerusalem where you dwell in joy with your Christ, I wonder if your birthday into your first world is being remembered – celebrated – if God is rejoicing over you with singing,

…. But heaven won her back; the meaning of Christ’s entrance into the world as a Savior is deeper to me now - more significant as I comprehend the brokenness of the world and the craftsmanship of its mender.

It is during these times of encroaching darkness that I realize I win the battle by using weapons fashioned out of light.

Find out what fossils tell us about the rose and what the bloom cycle of the Honeysuckle plant tells us about a once-famous love story… or is it vice versa? Read to find out!

Witches, the Mayflower, and Westminster Abbey all take a part in the tale of these birthflowers.

I can picture the Mediterranean cities of ancient times being conquered by fire and sword as they sweep mercilessly into the beautiful cities of marble and ivy and roses that were cultivated by the hopeful inhabitants of the land.

Maybe playing the long-game means that we remember that the repercussions of choosing sacrificial love every day, will echo into eternity in ways we can’t comprehend yet on this side of the veil.

This exceptional gemstone is even floating in space!

There may be a reason the phrase “running through a field of daisies” represents something beautiful and pure, and that photographers and cinematic directors often feature their subjects in grassy fields sprinkled with daisies.

The moment Christ drew breath in the deep dark cave of the grave… what did that look like?

… Some lore even said that the stone was a treasure of the mermaids and they bestowed it on worthy sailors to protect them against all sea-faring harm!

Arabian history used the flower as an aphrodisiac and a cure for baldness.

Even Leonardo Da Vinci believed the stone had an ability to enhance his intelligence…

To walk upon the earth is to walk upon the faces of the past…

Some of Bonaparte’s faithful supporters determined who was truly loyal to him by asking his subjects how they felt about the flower; if they spoke warmly of it, they were loyal to Bonaparte. If not…

…The Romans used the garnet in their signet rings to stamp the wax on important documents.

The power of a child’s prayer is unparalleled.

Cleopatra loved the stone so much she kept a private collection just for herself.

Folklore warned against bringing snowdrops into your house; they were said to make your milk watery and your butter strangely colored.

…one day, while Narcissus was hunting, he discovered his reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with his reflection…

In general, the Topaz has carried a multitude of culturally significant histories that I like to call it “a stone of a thousand stories.”

The Chrysanthemum is a flower with an astoundingly long history and continues to inspire millions with its ancient charm.