Long After

Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 2 Corinthians 2:14

My mom's favorite flower was the gardenia. When I was young, I remember her wearing one in her hair on festive occasions. She is no longer here, but for years my dad had a beautiful gardenia bush in his yard, in her memory.

Gardenias are the most potent smelling flowers I know. The pungent fragrance of just one flower can fill an entire room. The blooms don't last very long. The smooth, ivory petals turn yellow, then brown. Too quickly they look dried up and ugly.

Funny thing about gardenias: long after the appearance of the flower starts to go downhill, the powerfully sweet odor is every bit as strong as it ever was.

Interesting thing about saints: long after the outward appearance begins to degenerate, due to aging, accidents, or disease, a glorious aroma still radiates to the world. The spirit in our hearts never dies or disintegrates.

And you can bet that when one leaves this world, there remains a sweet smelling fragrance. Long after.

That is good news.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.

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Sally I. Kennedy is the author of Irish Thursdays, Words from the Heart, and 52 Little Parables from Ireland. She lives in south Florida with her husband Ben, and her children and nine grandchildren. Please visit her website, at sallyikennedy.com, or email Sally at, sallyikennedy@bellsouth.net