Sharing a Bit of Beauty

I went to Aquatic Gardens today, a lovely and eclectic plant nursery and garden center that's just outside the French Quarter. It's like a hidden oasis right in the city. One of the many things that can be found there is the variety of flowers, particularly their water lilies. One of the reasons Nichiren Buddhism uses the lotus blossom, or water lily, as a symbol is due to the fact that these gorgeous blooms can only grow in the nastiest of water. It is only through our darkest and most unpleasant of times that we can truly grow and have the potential to become the most beautiful expression of ourselves. Through the murkiness and grime, keep gravitating toward the light.

 Today the world lost Anthony Bourdain. I'm actually not going to write about that just yet since his passing is hitting me much harder than I'd have expected. Today the world doesn't look so nice. It looks hard and gritty and abrassive and cold. So this post is a simple one. No words of wisdom or depth for that matter. Just to share some nice pictures of pretty flowers to share a bit of beauty and brightness and warmth.

*deck featured is the Awakened Soul Oracle by Ethony