Ode to Castilleja

If you don't know what catilleja is, you're not the only one.  It is commonly referred to as prairie-fire or Indian paintbrush.  Matt Bates' wife said this was her favorite flower so I thought I would get a couple pictures of it for my blog.  These pictures are all of the same flower.  As you can see, it looks different depending on your perspective.  That is much how life is for all of us.  We can look at the same situation and come to drastically different conclusions.  The situation is the same - we just look at it differently.  I hope we can all learn to look at life with a positive outlook.  If we are always trying to look for the good then we will find it.  If you only dwell on the negative then you will surely miss out on the joys of life.  I prefer to look for the good and share that with those around me.  I hope you all have a great day today.

The first picture is looking straight down on the Indian paintbrush.  From this perspective, it looks like a star.  It is a beautiful flower and has lots of fire to it.  You can also see the ground and see where it gets all its nourishment from.  Without the nutrients from the ground it could not survive.

The second picture is a shot from the side.  You can see that it really stands out.  It is not afraid to be different.  All the other plants around it are green everywhere.  Then, we come across the red fiery personality of the Indian paintbrush.  It wants to be noticed and it wants to be important.  We all need love and attention like this plant does.

The third picture is from the bottom and side of the plant.  As you can tell, it is not the tallest plant in the forest, but it is striving to grow and become bigger, just like the other trees and bushes around it.  It is trying to look up to the examples it sees around it and grow.  Each of us has people that look up to us.  I hope we can be the kind of example that others need to help them grow and become better.  We should try to build each other up and not tear each other down.  There is room for all of us to grow in this big world of ours.

The last picture is a shot of the same plant looking straight up into Heaven.  We need to remember that these plants need sunshine and water to grow also.  We each need to remember where our blessings come from and thank Heavenly Father for them.  We all need happy and sad times in our lives to help us grow.  I hope I can always remember to look Heavenward and give thanks for my many blessings.  I really appreciate all of you and hope you know how grateful I am for your examples to me in my life.

It's all about your perspective!