As the weather warms up in Arizona, the height of the spring gush of color and exotic blossoms of every unimaginable shape and size pop out overnight, blaze for a few days or weeks, and bring delight to us desert dwellers. I remember how much it blessed me last year after my wrenching move to Phoenix, to see it.  It was the first installment on the promises spoken lovingly to my heart from my precious Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus.
     A year later, I am still reflecting on the faithfulness of God. Here are a few of the countless bouquets I can think of on the spot:

• A new and precious "Bouquets Girls" ministry in my home two Saturdays a month
• A precious church family that fully supports my gifts and speaks the Word into my heart, and fills it with incredibly powerful Worship every Sunday.
• A fresh and growing closeness to my two teenage grandchildren living here in Phoenix, along with the constant love and support of my son and his wife.
• Watercolor painting classes at a nearby Senior Recreational Center where beginners learn the joy of creating something beautiful and I get to show them how.
• Daily financial provision from many sources....many unexpected....to meet my needs, and to spoil me with some of my wants and wishes.
• A garage, and a blooming courtyard.....both of them daily appreciated. 

     I could go on and on about the precious little ways that my Bridegroom shows me that He hears my every word and the desires on my heart.  Just before Valentine's Day, I asked the Lord for a Valentine and reminded my Bouquets Group to do so also.  I received a check that day in the mail in the form of an unexpectedly large commission check from one of my former insurance companies.  The Lord softly whispered in my ear, "That's for your new mattress."  He knew that I had been praying for the funds to buy one.
     I later went shopping and ended up in Macy's for their President Days Sales.  In the mattress department, a nice young man helpfully guided me to the type of mattress I was looking for. (Do you realize how many types there are nowadays?) I tried a couple and then laid down on a lonely looking twin in the corner.  That was it!  I knew I had found it!  And guess how much it was?  You guessed it.  The commission check had been designed by My Beloved to remind me that He shares the most intimate places of my heart and loves to  delight me in such intimate ways.
     Lately, I have been squeezing in time each week to finish up "Deep Calls unto Deep ~ Responding to the Passionate Love of God".   It is the same Bible Study on the Song of Solomon that I taught to my Bouquets Group in Florida.  However, I have been formatting it into a printed booklet form with pictures, questions boxes, special interest inserts and other items to keep it interesting.  I wanted to have a booklet that readers could take home and continue the study in between classes. It has been a daunting task, but one I cannot stop.  We are already on Session four in my Bouquets class.
     As my first year in Phoenix winds up and I embark on many more, I see the wisdom of God in His guidance. The things I have just written are not world-shattering, but mostly common to us all and yet they are so important to our Bridegroom.  I still feel like His blushing bride.