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Among the Flowers: God's Plan for Me!


Psalm 32:8

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."

As I have been heavily studying Spanish this week, I remembered Florida was discovered by a Spanish explorer, so I decided to look it up. As my lookups often do, one thing led to another, and I had more questions than answers. That isn't entirely true; the answers I get usually pique my curiosity. I often will see connections that others may see as a mere coincidence! I follow the signs, and it becomes truly fascinating, especially when I view these "coincidences" as fate and destiny—part of God's plan for me.


My thoughts start as words racing from one side of my mind to the other, crisscrossing each other and expanding. Then imagery develops and the thoughts quickly skirt around these pictures, forming a tornadic breeze, allowing these imaginative creations fluid movement. As the words expand, they become phrases followed by more complex thoughts. To give these unorganized, racing thoughts a place to go, I blog about it.



In Spanish, "Florida" means "flowery" The term is derived from the Spanish word "flor," which means "flower." Florida was named by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León during the Easter season, known as "La Pascua de la Florida.," which translates to "flowery feast." Florida's original Spanish name is La Florida, which means “place of flowers or full of flowers,” thus, the name reflects the lush, floral beauty of the region.



When I saw my birth month and day on Ponce de León's timeline as the recorded date of him landing on the west coast of Florida, it just added another layer of divine mystery to my life. It is interesting that I always find these connections after the fact, meaning I don't use these signs to guide my decisions, like a self-fulfilling prophecy which may be contrary to God's will. I know God has a plan for me, and when I do notice a "sign," it is a reminder to trust in God and His timing—like a small wink from God that I will be ok.



The name Pascua reminds me of my father's name, Pasquale, which means born on Easter. He wasn't born on Easter, but two of my brothers were born on Easter—one in April and the other in March. This now triggers a memory of the 1940 U.S. census, where my father's name is incorrectly documented as Patrick. This has made it difficult to use the official census information. Maybe it is a sign, but my mind and thoughts continue on, trying to stay focused on this blog topic without too many tangents!



Speaking of Ponce de León and tangents, more than a decade ago, I visited the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light, a lighthouse and museum, with one of my sons. Although climbing to the top was very scary, I pushed through and made it up. I couldn't fully appreciate the view as much as I had hoped, but reaching the top was an accomplishment in itself. Standing at 175 feet, this lighthouse is not only the tallest in Florida, but also ranks among the tallest in the entire United States.



It was certainly interesting to learn more about Florida origins and to find some personal connection with its history. My life is still unfolding, and although I hold on to hope in certain situations, I definitely listen to guidance from above in the form of whispers and nudges. With my lifelong love of flowers, I couldn't be in a more perfect place right now. Florida paired with Summerfield makes it even that much more spectacular! Discovering all of the flowers in my yard feels more significant now. Things have a way of working out how they are supposed to—they always do.



🌺🌸🌼🌹🌷🌼🌻🌿🌺 🌸🌼🌹🌷🌺🌸🌼🌹🌷🌼🌻🌿🌺🌸🌼🌹🌷🌺







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