A vase with two sides

This post starts with a happening in the 6th Century BC. At this time Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. He was the one who had already had a dream about the world from his time to the end of time (Daniel 2) but this next dream was a ‘nature ‘ dream. Here is Daniel’s interpretation of what he, Nebuchadnezzar saw.

‘ You saw a tree, strong and high as heaven. It provided food for all, and the birds sat in its branches and animals lived under it. You, Nebuchadnezzar are that tree with a great dominion. Then a watcher, a holy one, came from heaven and said ‘cut the tree down but leave the stump and the roots, let it be wet with dew and let it be with the animals in the field until seven times have passed…’

Then Daniel continued.

‘But because the stump remains your kingdom will be sure. You will break off from your sins; by doing right, and showing mercy to the poor, and there may be a lengthening of your tranquility.’

After 12 months Nebuchadnezzar was walking in his palace feeling great, powerful and honoured when ‘a voice fell from heaven’. The voice was a recap of his dream and Daniel’s interpretation. That same hour this happened to Nebuchadnezzar: He was driven from men, ate grass as an ox, and his body was wet by dew till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like bird’s claws.

Then after ‘seven times pass’ these are Nebuchadnezzar’s words:

‘ I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that lives for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.’

And

‘ Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, glorify and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those who walk in pride He is able to humble.’

He was king again but with the realization that ‘ none can stay God’s hand ‘.

This account summarised by me is found in Daniel 4: 10 – 37. Our God who is able to teach.

Yesterday, after the short lived rain I went to the garden to find some flowers and I am going to list them and say a little about each plant:

There was the nasturtium only one flower all the rest had gone to seed the leaves a little yellow. I then saw two calendulas, them alone, all had gone to seed. I then saw two roses from a small plant that shows signs of pink spots caused by a fungus and these two roses were tinged with green. I then took a stem of the rudbeckia that had a few flowers on and noticed an onion had gone into flower. I picked that as well. A few twigs of rosemary and a few stalks of new lavender with a stalk of yarrow. Then I nearly forgot the saxophage stems, only a few because without picking them while in Ireland the whole plant has put its energy into making seed heads. Weeds are few so I picked the only ragwort. Its small yellow flowers were good to see.By the time I finished I had such an unusual hand full of vegetation I wondered how it would ever come together. It did.

Here are my photographs. It is a vase of flowers with two sides.

This side…

and that side.

A representative vase from a garden with little water that has gone through four heat waves. I wanted to have this group as a reminder of this time. And here is another thought:

I had far more in the garden than I felt.

Take care,

Sandy 🙂