Pink Perfection...

It is a lovely work of God's art, this variety of camellia, nicknamed "Pink Perfection", and it's no wonder it was given that name, given how symmetrically the petals are placed around the center. The first time I came across it in the gardens, it was the symmetry, and the most delicate of pinks that caught my eye. Then, when I checked the plant tag on the ground, one of the stories I've heard often in my life made even more sense than before.

The story goes that, when my parents were married, they had the very simplest of ceremonies. They arranged for the organist and the minister, and with a matron of honor and a best man, and a very few guests, they said their vows. The only flower was a pink perfection camellia pinned to my mother's suit. Lovely and simple.

Today, there is an enormous wedding reception taking place under an expansive tent in the same gardens where this picture was taken. A week to put the tent up, and a week to decorate and equip the grounds for whatever food and drink and festivities will follow. I have no knowledge of the people involved, except to reflect on what I see and be bewildered that one could and would make the choices that they have.

This week, my first-born child became engaged to be married. My hope for them is that theirs can be a relationship built on simple pleasures, celebration of life, and an occasional Pink Perfection camellia of their own.