Bide a Wee

In the entryway of my grandmother's farm house hung a small embroidery piece that invited visitors to 

Bide a Wee. 

In Scotland this is a traditional phrase that is used to invite people to 'stay a while', maybe for a cup of tea or a visit. This piece now hangs on one of my walls.

Since I have recently painted the interior of my home a soft pink, the light shimmers and glows differently than it did before. When I brought the Bell flowers in last week, I realized that the embroidered piece by my grandmother, mirror the design of beautiful cut flowers!

I have since learned that they are also called a Campanula or Platycodon flowers and I learned that these flowers are actually part of a plant that is used in Chinese herbal medicine. While I know the root of the plant, I did not know the flowers until this week. The rhizome of the plant is called Jie Geng. This herb opens the lungs, and guides other herbs to the upper body. This is a very important herb in the Materia Medica! The tastes of this herb are Acrid, Bitter, and Neutral. It is in the category of herbs that warm and transform.

The meaning of this flower in 'the language of flowers' is 'unchanging love and obedience'.

It is also associated with Venus and referred to as the 'Looking Glass Flower'. 

It is my hope that over this holiday week that everyone has the opportunity to Bide a Wee with the people that they care about, maybe over a cup of tea or a Thanksgiving meal. 

Today was a beautiful day as it was warm and the air was still,  I felt incredibly grateful to sit in the sun and count my blessings and gifts of the past year. 

Wishing everyone a lovely Thanksgiving.