Image: A California poppy, eschscholzia californica. Photo: (Hans/Pixabay)
Today the first California poppy in my garden bloomed.
They are like little cups of sunshine; they glow in the greenery. In a few weeks they’ll carpet my garden, because they volunteer everywhere. If they weren’t so pretty, they’d be weeds. They are one of the wonders of California.
For me, this is the promise of spring.
So to greet the first one, I always say the blessing for fragrant flowers and herbs. California poppies are not hugely fragrant flowers, but there is an earthy green freshness that is unique to them.
Baruch Atah, Adonai Eloheinu,
Melech ha-olam,
borei isvei v’samim.
In English:
Blessed are You, Adonai our God,
Ruler of the Universe,
Creator of fragrant flowers and herbs.
Spring is still a long way off, but with this little golden promise in my garden, I will keep up hope.
In case you are wondering, it is fine to pray in English if Hebrew is a barrier. It is also fine to bless in your own words if something wonderful comes along and you don’t have a book with you. If you have a smartphone, check out this article: There’s an App for Blessings!
I am reading this in frigid New York, Rabbi, so I am particularly grateful to read this about this lovely harbinger of Spring. Thank you for this and for all of your wonderful posts that have enriched and sustained me from so far away for so very long.