A promise of beauty

We've already started to have some cooler temperatures here in the south.  I'm quite worried that our season has gone from summer to winter without our fall. I can handle the mild temps, but the below freezing lows in the mornings are killing me!!
A few weeks back we (finally!) cut our garden back.  I LOVE our garden - we did it back in April 2010 when I was pregnant with Miriam.  Well, I guess Jeremy did it - but I supervised!  Here are some before pictures - atrocious!!

 

Here is a picture from right after we completed the garden and added in some plants (some already in bloom) in April:

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What was there was quite the sight. I'm so glad we got to work on that space.  If we never do anything else to our house, I'll be happy that this was done!!

So there, our pretty garden grew that spring/summer, and we cut it back, then it absolutely took over the world this year.  It was so busy, overgrown beautiful flowers everywhere.  It apparently attracted the neighborhood gray cat (that if I can ever catch might "disappear"...) because it kept pooping in the soil.  Day after day after day after day....maybe that's why the garden grew so much?

So anyway, we took the time a few weeks back to weed everything out and tame our container of greenery.     All of the beauty left.  It was time for the fall and cooler temperatures to move in and all of the green to turn brown.  However, last weekend, we noticed a little bud shooting up from our blue iris leaves.  And sure enough, despite the below freezing temps each morning and a blast of rain one of those days, this is the beauty that has sprung forth - in the FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER!!

Who knew that irises would bloom so late?  I remember that this was actually the first flowering plant to bloom at the beginning of the spring.  It had a short season of beauty, then was overtaken by the black eyed susans and purple cone flowers.  

Seeing this unfold this week was a constant reminder to me of God's promises and beauty that he supplies to us on a daily basis, and even in times in which we least expect it. There is a promise of blooming and beauty again - even if it doesn't come until next spring - but we were able to enjoy a bit of beauty from these gorgeous blooms this week.

All of this has given us a bit more affirmation of our growing daughter's name.  We've had the hardest times with girl names, and what do ya know - that's what we end up having.  We don't argue over them, we just never find one that "suits" until we find "the one".  That's the way it was with Miriam.  This time around, it's been a bit more difficult, and we're trying to keep the same criteria when choosing the name.  So far, we've settled on Lydia for our daughters name (no middle name yet).  We've debated back and forth about the perfectness of the name, but I think we're at least 90% settled....unless something else pops up.  But the name Lydia is so perfect.  It means beauty.  How perfect, uh?  The beauty and promise reminder of that flower....God will fulfill yet another promise to us before next spring in a different way of beauty - and we'll call her Lydia.