My Blue Lotus

My "fascination" with the blue lotus is multi-faceted, and I've often found my life reflected in and inspired by its simple beauty. Much of the current awareness of the blue lotus is steeped in Eastern ideologies and religions, none of which I practice. It's in Egyptian history that I first noticed this beautiful flower, and found myself enamored with its graceful tenacity. I love the fact that while we see a lovely flower rising up out the waters, there is yet much of the plant that's hidden under the water and rooted in mud. How much our lives are like this!...our foundations hidden away from the world around us, but so vital to our perceptible beauty. In its quiet strength, this flower reminds me of the gentle, quiet spirit I long to have as I walk through my life and all it holds.
The blue lotus was incredibly important to the Egyptians, and is very often found in their literature and art. It was a symbol of new life and healing. Its bloom opens with the rising of the sun, and closes with the dusk. We all go through times of darkness and tribulation, and how often the Lord blesses us with healing and rebirth, so it's not hard to see ourselves in the lotus.
The flower was also used medicinally as a sedative and relaxant. It was said to provide a "tranquil euphoria" when ingested. It was this detail that struck me most. I want that "tranquil euphoria!" We all have in our hearts and minds states of being we wish to experience during our time on earth. Too many to begin listing here, the goals that drive my life make me who I am. Underlying all those aspirations, I (like most of humanity) long for peace. Christ has granted me that wish with "a peace that the world cannot understand," "a peace that passes all understanding." And I believe He gives us gifts in life which serve as reminders of His love for us...."Tranquil euphoria"...As I sat thinking about those words, I found my favorite reason for loving the blue lotus. An image of the flower vivid in my head, the blue of its petals became the blue in my children's eyes, and its yellow center became the sunshine in their smiles. My family is my tranquil euphoria, my quiet happiness in an often cold, chaotic world. My blue lotus is found blooming in the simple joys of loving and being loved, in the little gestures, and looks, and touches. It's tranquility stems from the overwhelming gift of being totally, completely bonded to another human being, of knowing where you belong, and why you take each breath. My blue lotus is my family, and the brilliance and beauty I find in them forever steals my breath away.