Let the Little Ones Come

A Spring Present for Our Lady

The Marygold

Long years ago, ere faith and love
Had left our land to sin and shame,
Her children called my blossoms bright
By their sweet Mother's gentle name.
And when amid the leaflets green
They saw sweet "Mary-buds" unfold.
In honour of the Angels' Queen
They plucked the Royal Marygold.

I was the favourite of the poor,
And bloomed by every cottage door.
Speaking of Heaven's Fair Queen to men.
They loved me for the name I bore.
There is no love for Marye now,
And faith died out when love grew cold.
Men seldom raised their hearts to Heav'n
Though looking at the Marygold.

But Marye from her throne on high
Still looks on England and on me:
The namesake of the Queen am I,
The Ladye of the Land is she.
And surely she must win once more
Her heritage to Christ's True Fold:
Then to her children, as of yore,
Will preach again the Marygold.

(Legends of Our Ladye and the Saints, London. (1870)

I just ordered as a little present to myself for my back garden!  I am hopeful that after we get our fence replaced in the next few weeks, I will be able to work our old/abandoned back flower bed into a nice plot with a section for a Mary Garden.  I found this beautiful website and I purchased the book, Mary's Flowers,  last spring for Meg as she was hopeful that we could begin planning a garden.  Well, one year later and here we are...still a little bit behind but since it is only April, I have hopes that we can still get some plantings in before the searing Texas sun zaps things to death.  :S   I pray that I can have a little plot started for Our Lady before her month of May is over.  

And I am sure I will plant some marigolds in our garden as this beautiful poem above inspires me so!  God bless you this Easter Saturday!

You know it's time to prune the tree...

Rose, age 7

...when you walk out and see this gi-normous branch just lying in the front yard!  

Thankfully, no one was injured...the kids play in our front yard quite a lot, so I am glad that they were not out when this big branch fell!  We've had quite a bit of high winds lately and tons of rain.  Our old oak tree has quite a few dead limbs this spring that need to be pruned.  Time to get Bill to work.  ;)