While on a hike last week I came across a wild rose. Having never encountered one in nature, I was unsure at first that I was correct in my diagnosis. But thanks to google my assessment was confirmed. Immediately I thought of the Rosette Nebula, aptly named due to it's appearance of the layered unfolding we've come to recognize when we see a rose. Ironically, a wild rose has singular petals, but its smell, the tiny folded bud next to it, and the inevitable thorns gave it away.
Isn't it amazing to recognize the patterns in nature, reaching from the earth beneath us, all the way up to the sky above? It is undeniable that the last year+ has been crazy for everybody on the planet. In times like these, the beauty of nature and the glimpses of infinity found in the universe serves to give us perspective. Roses have thorns, life has ups and downs, but BEAUTY will always exist if we choose to see it. So look for it! Open up those eyes and choose to feast upon what is good and lovely in the world. I guarantee you your soul will thank you for it.
-Hope