My daughter came from outside and brought me a flower, “Look momma, what I brought you.”
I thanked her for the beautiful gift, and we took turns putting it over our ear, channeling our inner Moana.
But when I took in its scent, I was enveloped by the most intense floral fragrance.
I did that several times because I couldn’t get enough. I had my boys and husband smell it as well, and they were equally astounded.
It was like transporting yourself to the lush islands of Hawaii. I could just hear the rushing waterfalls and see a vibrant rainbow emerging from the mist.
It reminded me also of my stays at the Park Hyatt Aviara (which I wrote about here). But instead of getting that scent from an aroma machine, I was getting it straight from the source.
It was a treat to have something so small be the reason of so much joy.
I asked my daughter to show me where she found it outside. And to my shock, it was the tree that I look at every morning, right outside my window.
I mean I love all trees, but I always thought this one was a bit unusual in its appearance. Because for most of the time that I’ve lived here, it’s just been stubby bare branches. But as time progressed, the tree was filled with leaves and little cylinder pods, which produced the beautiful plumeria (frangipani), that my family and I thoroughly got to enjoy.
It got me thinking on the verse “You will know them by their fruits.” Matthew 7:6
Here I was a little judgmental about this peculiar looking tree, only for it to prove me incredibly wrong, and produce the most beautifully fragrant flower.
Fruits are a common metaphor in the Old and New Testament and mean an outward manifestation of one’s faith.
But it’s so often that we have crystal clear vision on another’s “fruits” or lack thereof, yet our sight becomes muddled or even non-existent when we look at our own.
In another vein, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” – Matthew 7:3
At a time when our world is filled with so much hostility and violence, and viewing it is as easy as looking at your phone, it’s been so easy for me to say, “Sheesh I’d never do that, I’d never burn a building down, break windows, spray graffiti, or punch someone in the face.”
But I’ve been incredibly foolish to fall prey to these distractions, especially the trick of making a pass for my own shortcomings because they didn’t seem as severe as to what I was witnessing.
How can I point my finger at injustice if I commit injustice myself?
And although it may not look as violent…choosing not to love, has the same cataclysmic effects.
The other day I was taking a First Aid/CPR class online, and after I got my certification, I really didn’t think much of it. But in between the cartoon animations and multiple choice questions, something was brewing in my mind. Later that night a rush of memories came flooding back in.
I was at a gathering and saw a family friend who had been battling an illness. I said hello at the beginning, but because of how much she deteriorated in health, I felt uncomfortable talking to her. Here I was a healthy young adult, and to be in the presence of someone who was once so lively…it didn’t sit right with me.
So I avoided her. But while I was outside, there was a big commotion with people yelling to call an ambulance because she had stopped breathing.
Sadly she passed away, and there was no way for me to rectify the situation. And with her gone, it kind of blasted me in the face of what an asshole I was.
I had suppressed those memories, but taking that class must have sprung them up on me, and it pained me to see how callous I was.
My compassion went out the window, because I had preferred to remain comfortable, and it got me thinking on the countless ways that I’ve failed to show love.
Taking an introspective look into how we behave is probably the hardest thing to do. Not only because it’s perhaps painful to see, but because so much is vying for the attention of our mind.
Its like we go on autopilot, wake up, look at your phone, tend to your duties, watch tv, and have the phone lull yourself back to sleep. Only to repeat the next day.
It’s not often we get the chance to examine our own conscience- a pure and unfettered look into our actions and the way they could have affected others.
I find the best time to do so is at night before drifting off to sleep. It’s quiet, dark, and you’re no longer being pulled in the many directions of the day.
Really take that time to examine your whole day, and think on all of the ways that you could’ve done better.
I was a little short-tempered with my kids.
I really didn’t connect with my spouse.
I was too quick to brush that person off because my mind was elsewhere.
Taking into account how you behaved, and the ways that you could better modify it will really set you on the right path for the next day.
And even though we are reminded far more of acts of violence rather than acts of love, don’t let that distract you from taking a look within.
We can only control what we can control.
And if we knew the importance of spreading even the simplest gestures of love and kindness, we would seek every opportunity to do so.
-Vianca Joy
Vianca Joy 