FEELING GLAD ALL OVER

A  GLADIOLA FROM MY GARDEN

I am glad it is finally feeling like summer around here.  We have had so many days of rain in the past month.  Even though it was 98 degrees here today, it was nice to have a sunny summer day.  My beautiful David Austin Christopher Marlowe rose developed some black spot, but it is still blooming. There has been so much rain that it killed part of my big Red Knockout rose, and I believe that they are one of the most hardy roses there is.  I was outside today, for as long as I could stand the heat, moving formerly water logged plants out of the searing sun into partial shade because they were starting to shrivel from the sun and heat beating down on them.  

The gladiola in the picture above survived the super wet weather we have had. It bloomed so beautifully and so tall that it was blown over and broke off before I had a chance to stake it.  It worked out fine though, I have been enjoying seeing it in the house and "posing" it for photographs.  

A few days ago, I was changing purses.  I laughed out loud when I read the quote on this card I came across that was still in my purse from the time I was in the hospital at the end of May.  I was too sick to even notice it while in the hospital. 

This is a card given to patients when they first go into their hospital room.

Out of all of the quotes in the world, I cannot believe that a hospital would choose the quote that is on this card.  Helen Keller was a great woman, and this is a very moving quote, but I don't think it worked too well in this circumstance. 

As I read the quote line by line, I almost wondered if the hospital was trying to be funny. Or maybe that quote had become their "Mission Statement". "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet."  Well, I suppose I got my character developed,  because there wasn't  much ease and no quiet with the monitor beeping and sounding some type of alarm next to the bed for 18 hours straight, until the nurse practitioner got tired of struggling to speak to me over the din it was making,  and simply stepped over and flicked a switch and turned off the sound it was making in the room. She said the nurses had the same monitor that sounded at their station.  The sound didn't really need to be on in the room.

As for "Only through the experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ....", with all due respect to Ms Keller, I don't agree with that statement at all.  There are many beautiful, joy filled, positive experiences that can strengthen the soul, clear vision, inspire ambition, and help one achieve success.  I don't believe a hospital should put forth such negativity.  And I definitely don't think it is good that a hospital should be functioning with the idea that trial and/or suffering is good for people.  So many things make me wonder about hospitals and health care at this time.

Oh, well, all of that is water under the bridge and I have been feeling good and have been able to get back to playing in the garden, and I am thankful...and "glad".

GLADIOLAS - BEAUTIFUL!