As June winds down blogger Virginia is getting ready for a celebration: Roses in the Rubble turns 8 on 30th June. Can’t believe it’s been 8 years of blogging! To honor the occasion, here is the original post (set up as a page) of why “Roses in the Rubble?” that really is all about how to find Roses in the Rubble of our lives…
As a relief & development worker I documented sobering issues: child victims of war, the ravages of HIV/AIDS, and injustices (mass graves inclusive) in conflict zones and places of poverty all over the world. After collecting flower photographs during my first posting in the Middle East, what began as a hobby (making cards out of flower pics) became something more, especially during the Kosovo relief program. Finding roses in the rubble and capturing them on film.
Finding beauty –HOPE – in a disaster zone.
I love flowers, our Creator’s heavenly paintbrush splashing beauty around us. In Tanzania jacaranda trees lined a street near our main office. Every December lavender flowers canopied in giant trees fluttered everywhere. It reminded me of elven Lothlorien in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. When I went on (and on) about the beauty of these trees, my African boss said, “the flowers mess up your windshield and make a mess all over your car!”
But, hey, they were still a beautiful, inspiring mess!
Sometimes our lives are filled with messy mistakes, failures and piles of rubble. But the thing about finding roses in rubble, you have to look for them. Sometimes they’re hiding behind our fears, insecurities, anger and bitterness.
But God can do the impossible, and God is rather good at bringing good out of impossibly challenging circumstances.
Think of Joseph, thrown down a well and sold into slavery by his MEAN brothers. Never say it can’t get worse: he ended up in the rubble of an Egyptian prison (they are notoriously bad now – imagine what it must have been like 5,000 or so years ago?)
Keeping the faith, however, years later he became the second most powerful man in Egypt and saved not only Jacob and his family but the whole region from starvation. Joseph became a powerfully strong rose amidst debilitating and devastating rubble. As he later told his brothers, “what you meant for evil, God used for good.”
I know that God has grown roses out of my personal rubble in impossible-to-comprehend ways and those around me (especially my bed-fast quadriplegic Papa.) I’ve also met many inspiring roses living in the rubble of conflict zones who reflect the beauty of hope to shattered hearts and broken dreams around them.
Their scarred blooms are filled with petals of faith, hope, peace and love as they exude the bitter-to-sweet scent of joy amidst suffering.
Living roses inspire us to be more of who we are meant to be: beloved sons and daughters of our Almighty Heavenly Father, regardless of whether we are red, yellow, pink or purple: we all come from the same human stem of life created in God’s image.
If you are bogged down looking at the rubble around you, Heads Up! Look around, the sun still rises and the sun still sets (keeping Heavenly paintbrushes busy.) If God clothes the flowers of the field so beautifully, will He not take care of us?
Have faith…and COURAGE.
It takes courage to be a rose when rubble surrounds you!
“The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? One thing I desire, and that I will seek after: to behold the beauty of the Lord and inquire in His temple.” Psalm 27:1&4
grace, peace & resilient roses
Virginia : )
“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr
Roses in the Rubble 
Beautiful and congratulations on your blog-anniversary🎉.
Thanks so much, Mama Duck – can’t believe it’s been 8 years. So fun finding your blog that always inspires! 🎊🌹🎊
Happy anniversary, Virginia! Nice to see how far you’ve come, right? And it’s nice for those of us who weren’t there at the beginning to play catch-up!
Thanks, Debbie – it’s been fun finding you in the blogosphere & all your cool posts (‘cool’ not just in winter!) Blessings! 🤣🎊🌹🎊🤣
Congrats on this delightful anniversary! 💕😊🥂🎈
Thank you, Jan, for your encouragement along the way & your truly hilarious haikus that bring a daily laugh! Blessings! 🎊🌹🎊
WHat a beautiful blog post and introduction to your journey. I have never been to the places you describe, but along my walks around my neighborhood are small weeds and random flowers growing out of cracks in sidewalks and stone walls. I love the colors and the delicacy. I began taking photos of them. Then photos of the ones in yards that were grown to be beautiful. First I found the beauty in the random, unnatural places of beauty and that helped me appreciate what was meant to be noticed all along.
Thank you for sharing this post for those of us who have been following you only a short time.
Thank you, Kate, for your lovely words of encouragement. It’s been a real blessing finding kindred spirits like you in the blogosphere. Blessings! 🎊🌷🎊
Happy eight anniversary. We’ve been friends for that long? Amazing. Keep on blogging Virginia, I love your thoughts.
Thank you Arlene for being such an encouragement all these years! You were one of my first friends in the blogosphere & helped keep me blogging many times when blogger virginia was ready to give up. Blessings & hugs! 🎊🌹🤗🌹🎊
Blessings to you too.
💞🙏🤗🙏💞
It’s an amazing milestone … congrats, Ginny❣️ 🍾🎈🎉🎊
Thank you, sis! You have been the biggest cheerleader since the very beginning 8 years ago. Can’t thank you enough! Big hugs, 🎊🌹🎊🤗🎊🌹
Congrats!!
Thank you, Nora – it’s been fun finding you in the blogosphere! 🎊🌹🎊
Congrats dear Virginia! Beautiful post! Thank you! Thank you! God’s blessings always! ❤
Thank you, Patty, for your inspiring blog & for being inspiring, encouraging YOU! What a blessing to find kindred spirits like you (St. Teresa of Avila AND Catherine Doherty groupies!) Hugs! 🎊🌹🎊🤗🎊🌹
Thank you so much Virginia! Much love and blessings always! ❤
💐💞🤗💞💐
Eight amazing years?! Wow…lovely! Glad to have you here…glad to have found your blog.
This was a very encouraging post. Thanks for that timely reminder about the story of Jospeh and the wonders of God.
Here’s many flowers to celebrate with you: 🌺💐🌸🌷🌹🌸🌺💐🌼🌻🌸🌺💐 hope you like them ? 🙂💝
Hey Sunshine – love the celebratory flowers in their beauteous-ness! 🌷🌸🌷 So grateful for your (many) encouraging words that have been spirit-lifter-uppers when (especially) needed. Blessings & hugs! 🎊🌹🎊🤗🎊🌹
Happy blog anniversary and I admire your work of doing so much good for society and taking in all the stressors that come with it! Bless your kind heart Virginia.
Thank you so much GH for your (hilarious) blogs that bring so much daily joy – it’s been a huge blessing interacting with you. Thank you for your encouragement!! Big hugs! 🎊🌹🎊🤗🎊🌹
It is also a pleasure to chat with you Virginia. Thank you for supporting and laughing with me always. Keep blogging my friend.
Same to you, GH! Hang in there! 💐🤗💐
💕😃
Coming in late to the party as I’m just back from holiday. Happy Eighth Blogiversary, and here’s to the next eight years!🥀🌷💐
Thanks so much, Jane. Many times I considered giving blogging up, but ‘hanging out’ in the blogosphere with folks like you has made it more so a blessing Hope you had a nice holiday! 🌹🎊🌟🎊🌹
Happy anniversary!
Thanks so much, Kenneth. Can’t believe it’s been 8 years! Hopefully our blogs will “live long & prosper.” 🚀🛸😎🛸🚀
Likewise!