How This Extraordinary Rose Spoke to Me

     All within a week, I scheduled cancer surgery, scheduled a pre-op visit, scheduled a visit to get a radar chip implanted in me prior to surgery, and scheduled a COVID test. I took other medical tests, visited a chiropractor and a dentist, and got jabbed for a COVID shot.     
     Sometimes I wonder whether I’ve reached a point that it becomes unhealthy to give so much attention to being well.
     Which is why this rose spoke tenderly to me as I touched its petals. It was shut tight when I brought it home.Then it opened, showcasing exuberant colors and filling the kitchen with an intoxicating fragrance. Inevitably, its leaves fell and its petals browned, but its tantalizing aroma lingered.
     As I continue to age, I want to exude a lingering scent like this rose. A fragrance of hope from the only source of true hope - God.
     Even as this body withers, my inner self can bloom.