Birthday Roses

These are my birthday roses. 

Now normally, I prefer the simple roses that grow in my garden. Just five or six petals, easy and carefree, they glow in the sunshine and flutter like light-hearted butterflies.

But my birthday roses show me something far more complex. The rows of ruffled petals circle round and round, doubling back on themselves, repeating patterns but never quite the same. Some lie in deep shadow, others fan out into the light. Each petal is different and contributes to the beauty of the overall blossom in its own way. And at the center, a new petal waits, still tightly curled but ready to stretch and grow, adding one more layer of fullness and beauty to the flower.

My birthday roses inspire me to love all the birthdays of my past, and prepare me for an exciting new year to come.