We are on the road, away from our Yakima home for several weeks each transfer.  Our lives revolve in these 6-week periods.  This afternoon we were returning home through the Canyons behind our mission home and the hills that were covered in purple Lupine last week, were decorated in yellow this week.  For a minute I felt sad that I’d missed the wildflowers that had passed, but then I felt thrilled that new ones had bloomed.I marveled that Heavenly Father created such a lovely world for us, with on-going beauty for us to enjoy, every day, every month, every year.  What if all the wildflowers bloomed at the same time?  His timing is perfection.  It’s continual.  It moves us forward, from one season to the next, from one year to the next.I was sad that we were so busy this spring that we had no time to walk into the blooming apple orchards here and inhale the fragrance.  We just sped by them, and then before we knew it, the blossoms were gone.  But within days, the Dogwood trees were exploding in brilliant pinks and whites. Now the Dogwoods have faded, their petals have fallen on the ground.  Soon we will be eating cherries and other early varieties of fruit from the orchards that surround us.  Anticipation moves us forward, ever onward.I’ve been working on a blog post about my 2nd Great-grandfather, Jacob Bushman, and his death in 1919.  Twenty years before, his wife, my beloved Charlotte died in 1899, the year after their granddaughter, my grandma Ruby was born.

I wonder if Heavenly Father schedules our time on earth like he schedules wildflowers, with continual blooming throughout each season.  We are family, and we take turns coming to earth, where we each have our season to grow, to spread fragrance, seeds and beauty.  And then we pass.  But our families continue on, moving forward, ever onward.Those who have “visited” heaven, or who have had near-death experiences often return describing the exquisite beauty of the plants and flowers growing there.  They describe colors unlike anything seen on earth.  Some have even described the beautiful sound of blossoms opening.

Heavenly Father is a Master Creator and a Master Scheduler.  And we are His children, organized into families.  We take turns coming here, to earth.  We take turns going Home to family there.  I am grateful that when we are Home again, we and our beloved family members will bloom there together forever.