First Flower of this Winter

I had been excited and anticipated for weeks for its blooming and it finally did - a faultless beautiful white lily.

However, the flower was killing the plant itself, so we had to cut the most proud part of the plant down. It's like teenager pregnancy, I suppose. (Okay, it's time to laugh if you want to! I haven't seen anyone who can keep their face straight after I said that.) My young lily wasn't ready to have the flower, so we had to give it away to save the mother plant. Now, the lily flower it's sitting on my desk reminding me - Sometimes, you have to let go to survive.

sometimes you win,

sometimes you lose

sometimes you stay,

and the other times you move

sometimes it rains, but the sun

comes out tomorrow

sometimes happiness

sometimes sorrow

- Vanessa Amorosi, Sometimes Happiness