New Day Snip and Sip (06/01/2026)

The first time she did it, years ago, it surprised me. While visiting, she collected all the vases of fresh cut flowers, took the flowers out and laid them on the counter, poured out the vase water, rinsed the vase and filled it with fresh water, then snipped a little off each stem before re-arranging the various flowers into new bouquets. So, I asked about her procedure.  “I just love to do it because it makes them last longer.”

Not that I didn’t believe her, but being a big fan of the “trust but verify” philosophy, the next time I visited a florist in town, I asked about it. Hope, the florist, smiled and said, “Of course. Don’t you do better refreshed.” Then she went on to explain that cut stems tend to seal themselves, preventing them from taking in water, so a little snip opens the stem anew to take in clean water. And clean water daily is vital because of bacteria build up in the stagnant water which leads to wilting. Who knew? Surely not me. But my master gardener sister-in-law knew.

Yesterday as I watched her refreshing my bouquets, I couldn’t help but smile. She loves to garden. She loves flowers. She loves me. Of course, knowing what she knows, and knowing what she loves, she is going to snip the stems and give them a sip of fresh water daily for me.

We can learn a lot from others along the way if we open ourselves to their way, to their wisdom, to their love. Over the years, my beloved sister-in-law has given me a trove of treasures in knowledge and skill and love. And her gardening and floral expertise taught me a little something about my life, as well. I am not as delicate as the queen anne’s stem or the iris, but I need to be refreshed daily, too. It’s healthy spiritually to shake off the old and stale and the scabs from past hurts. It’s healthy to refresh daily spiritually with prayer and scripture and contemplation.  This morning as I sat with my coffee on the porch, everyone else still asleep inside, I prayed to the LORD in thanksgiving for my life and then I did a little “snip and sip” of my own for my spiritual health and longevity.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.