02/03/2023
Sunflowers are one of our most requested flowers. “I’d like an arrangement focused on sunflowers. What would you put with it?” “Purple! Have you ever seen sunflowers paired with purple flowers? Stunning!
Yellow and purple are complementary colors; they are on opposite sides of the color wheel. With complementary colors, one is cool and the other is warm, and paired together they create simultaneous contrast making each color appear more vibrant.
It is their very opposite nature that makes them more stunning when they work together.
Each year about 42,000 women and 500 men die from breast cancer. Our country is 100% united in its fight against breast cancer. There’s another disease that caused the death of 45,222 Americans in 2020. Yet there is no unity to fight against it.
Each year more Americans die from gunshot wounds than from breast cancer. Why aren’t we as united to eliminate this cause of death as we are for breast cancer?
We are focused on our own opinions instead of focusing on a solution. There is a passage I grew up with, “We cannot fill vessels already full. They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error. Then, when the winds of God blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us.” (Mary Baker Eddy) We might think to ourselves, “I know the best way.” But our friend across the aisle has a totally different opinion. And there we sit, hugging our tired tatters of opinions about us, too fearful to let them go for an even more protective coat.
One view is purple. The other view is yellow. They sit on opposite sides of the wheel. Never the two shall meet? If we take our cue from nature, when the two combine their talents, even better solutions emerge. But first we must empty our vessels of our opinions and together start filling that vessel, not with tired opinions that keep us at odds, but with fresh solutions.
One truth I know, unconditional love does not leave anyone out. As unconditional love guides what we put in that vessel, not only will the solutions not leave anyone out, they will bless all mankind.
Purple and yellow are at their best when they work together!