This intricate flower is lovely, but unfortunately its very name brings to mind tragedy for Americans who inevitably think of Columbine high school, the setting of a mass shooting fifteen years ago.
Here is the description of the flower:
Perfect for cottage and woodland gardens, old-fashioned columbines are available in almost all colors of the rainbow. Intricate little flowers, they are most commonly a combination of red, peach, and yellow but also blues, whites, pure yellows, and pinks; they look almost like folded paper lanterns. Columbine thrives in sun or partial shade in moist, well-drained soil.
Let's pray for the day when the name Columbine once again evokes an image of this delicate flower rather than wanton destruction.
Such exquisite beauty with its face in the sun, and yet we can't read the word without harkening back to that tragic event. Still, let's use it as a prayer sent up in memory of all who were there that day...
