A beautiful day in New York City, I came across a cafe that also sold flowers—two of my favorite things! I felt a calm rush over me as I walked into the space. Here is the poem I wrote as I made time for well-being.

Make time  
for flowers and coffee  
to walk into a café in New York City  
and sit among plants and people.

Make time  
for touching pretty orchids  
to calm your rapid heart beat 
and breathe out the daily stresses.

Make time 
for floral midday soirées
to order yummy pastries 
and enjoy a foamy milk latte.

Make time  
for being very present  
to savor every little moment
and nourish the garden of your soul.

You ought to
make time 
for flowers and coffee.

A Poem About Sensitivity, Strength, and Pleasing God Over People

I’m a lily, 
But I wish…
I wish I was…
A cactus.

Prickly. Stern.
Dare to poke me
you will feel my burn.

But Instead I’m
Delicate. Gentle.
Easily bruised…
So, so sensitive.

God, 
I wish I could be mean
you know?
Develop a fearsome skin. 
But much as I try
it feels so strange from within. 

It isn’t—really—me.

You see I’ve spent years
trying to survive this world by
pleasing it.
Apologizing for my gentleness
as if being kind 
was some kind of weakness.

But I’m awake now.
And I’m done trading
my sensitivity
for the silence of self-denial.

I was made to 
reflect the heart of God.
Not the opinion of man.

I was made to 
walk in truth.
Not to tiptoe.

I was made to 
be discerning.
Not desperate.

Astute.
Not agreeable
to dysfunction.

And gentle?
Yes.
But wrapped in a strength
you can’t see on the surface.

Are you listening?

Because I finally am.
And what I hear…
is Love telling you and I:

“Stop shrinking
to fit their own plans.
Start rising
to reflect who I am.”

So no—
I am not a cactus.
I am becoming a lotus.
So now I bloom under Love’s light,
not their opinions.
I bend for Love’s will,
not whispers.

And I please. . .
I please only Him.

To all the personalities that are like lilies.
Just be yourself, one hundred percent.