February 2026

February 20, 2026

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

“The earth laughs in flowers.”

This quote is by Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who lived in the 1800s.

Because I’m writing this in February and I live in Minnesota, it will be a couple more months before the spring flowers begin to bloom. And yet each year around this time I start looking forward to seeing them, and I loved Emerson’s quote about flowers when I came across it. For flowers, with their various colors, shapes, and sizes, do add a kind of joy to our world, and laughter and joy often go hand in hand.

Perennials begin blooming at different times throughout the growing season and they vary in how long they continue budding. Tulips and lilacs are two of the earliest to arrive where I live. But whenever any flowers arrive and for whatever the length of time they bloom, it’s special to see them. There are also many types of annual flowers that can be planted each spring that continue to bloom all summer. Some annuals are marigolds, zinnias and petunias. We also get to see wild flowers at nature areas and in the countryside. And of course there are indoor flowering plants that add beauty to our lives that we can also appreciate and that add a touch of nature within our homes.

When I find myself looking forward to the arrival of the spring flowers, I’m also reminded of the other signs that spring is coming–the longer lengths of daylight, milder temperatures (although that varies a lot this time of year), and migrating birds returning. Yesterday I saw about 20 Canadian Geese flying in a V-formation as they returned from having migrated south last fall.

Enjoying the beauty of flowers is yet another way of appreciating the many gifts in our lives.

February 14, 2026

Sharing

“When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”

This quote is by Maya Angelou who was a poet, writer, and civil rights activist and who lived from 1928 to 2014.

When I first read Angelou’s quote, I admired how she said so much with just a few words. In fact, if each of us would endeavor to live in a way that reflects her words, we would add to what matters in our world and we would have an increased sense of purpose.

Her words “When you learn, teach” can refer to many types of teaching. I think back to the numerous people who helped me to learn about various aspects of life when I was a child and teenager, and then later as a young adult living independently. I think of my parents, grandparents, family friends—all of them played a part in my life. Although they didn’t think of themselves as my teachers, I learned from what they said and did, by what they made possible for me, from their encouragement, and in many other ways. For they were teaching me based on what they had learned from their experiences, including what people had taught them in the same ways. And as a young adult, I also learned about aspects of life through interactions with employers and coworkers, friends, and others with whom I came into contact along the way.

I believe Angelou’s words also refer to a more direct type of teaching. When we read to and with our children or grandchildren, for example, we help them to learn to read and we also give them the opportunity to develop a desire to read. In addition, we give them the gift of sharing our time with them and showing that we care for them. This is true when we do other activities together as well.

Angelou’s words “when you get, give” remind us to be generous—generous by assisting and sharing our time with others, as well as by giving material items or money, including to valuable causes. Her words also remind me of Christ’s teachings about being generous. “Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8. There are many ways we can give to others.

It’s important that we recognize our ability to “pay it forward”—to pass on good deeds and experiences from which we have benefited to others as those opportunities arise. We do this when we share both what we have learned and what we have received so that we can help to make other people’s lives better.

February 7, 2026

Courage

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

This quote is by Winston Churchill. Churchill was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who lived from 1874 to 1965. He also served two terms as Prime Minister, the first one during World War II.

I think many people would agree that it takes courage to stand up and speak. This is true whether speaking at some type of public forum, at a work meeting, or for certain personal conversations. This is especially true when we know that the people we will be speaking to might not agree with what we need to say. And it requires even more courage when those people are people we care about and whose opinions and values usually align with ours, and that by speaking we risk straining or possibly losing their friendship.

The idea of sitting down and listening, on the other hand, most likely isn’t something that many of us would think of as requiring courage. And yet, if we think about what is involved in genuine listening, it does. It takes a certain amount of courage, for example, to be willing to recognize that we sometimes are set in our ways and when that’s the case we are not open to ideas we hadn’t considered previously. And it takes courage to consider them. That doesn’t mean we should automatically accept views that differ from ours, but rather to not reject them without putting some thought into them.

It also takes a certain amount of courage to listen to criticism and to be open to the possibility of making changes based on constructive criticism we receive.

What matters is acknowledging the importance of listening and making an effort to try to understand where the other person is coming from. We do this by giving them our full attention and, when needed, asking clarifying questions. And we do this by being respectful and nonjudgmental.

Churchill’s words remind us that both our speaking as well as our ability to sincerely listen matter. And that all of us should strive to do both well and, when necessary, to do them with courage.