Of Rainbows and Peonies

Dear Diary,

It has been a "weather" week here,

a nice change from the usual for late May.

Yesterday a brilliant rainbow fragment touched down

in the valley and hung suspended there in the sky

for about a half hour before it finally faded away.

 Meanwhile, Monday's peonies have faded from

their lovely pink to the palest of pale peachy rose . . .

 Petals have begun falling . . .

 The afternoon light was just right . . .

. . . one last photograph before their final demise.

Peonies certainly do retain their beauty to the very end.

 I've never had a bouquet of them before,

so this has been an especially lovely treat.

 Speaking of light and beauty, I'd like to share these few words . . .

Focus exclusively on God and light,
and never on darkness, temptation and sin.

Endure the trial of yourself and your own faults and sins
peacefully, serenely, because you know that God's mercy
is greater than your brokenness.

When you fall, get up immediately and start over.

Get help when you need it, without fear or shame.

From Fr. Thomas Hopko's Fifty-Five Maxims