They call to me from the store shelf, crammed together so it is difficult to determine where one plant ends and the next begins, making a purple and pink and green carpet, speckled with yellow.
So many of them, too many to choose from on this foggy, overcast day.
Which one, which one?

So I leave with two, in shades of purple, planted on my kitchen windowsill, to bring a smile to my face as I wash dishes and watch my kids playing outside the window, their cheeks pink-ening under the crispness of the air.
The violets remind me that spring and new life and possibilities are around the corner,
They remind me to pause and breathe.
They remind me there is great beauty in this ever increasing world of darkness in the news and online and in the world.
They remind me that nature is always there, will always be there, prevailing.

For I know, if I’m patient and gentle, these blooms will be the first of many, carrying me through the darkness of this winter, into the light of spring.

Just living is not enough; one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

Hans Christian Anderson