For those new to this, the Last Most Beautiful is a very erratic diary series, wherein we share moments of beauty, in celebration and recognition of Beauty, and That Which Keeps Us Going, and Why We Fight. So what was your last most beautiful moment? Please share in the comments. Mine was yesterday, hanging out with the twin daughters of a good friend from all the way back in high school, who was back on the East Coast for a few days. His daughters are California girls, so they've been enjoying the fireflies and the general Eastern Woodland lushness.
We hung out inside for a while, playing tictactoe and reading as an afternoon storm built up. When my nature timer went off, I went outside to check on the sky, and the girls followed me out. There was a storm-breeze stirring, greying clouds on the move, and a spatter of light rain. The girls hung back, curious about why I'd be choosing to be out in the rain - "It's dangerous!" they told me.
"I'm always happy when it rains", I told them, "Do you see all these trees around us? They're happy when it rains, because they need water to grow up so tall. When it rains, the plants are happy, because that's what they need to make flowers, and leaves, and grow strong".
There was a bright orange tangle of day lilies in the backyard, so I went out and brought back three flowers to the girls on the deck, gave them one each, and started nibbling on mine. "These are special flowers", I told them, "Ones that you can eat. But you have to ask your dad first".
The girls are five, cautious but curious, and up for adventures. They tasted, then nibbled.
I could actually see them reprocessing flowers as food in their eyes as they browsed. How amazing is it to be able to take beauty into yourself, to eat what you admire?
Later that evening, their dad thanked me for the experience. I knew I'd pushed the boundaries, and his indulgence was a major act of trust. But we'd waded through the swamps of high school together, spent a summer in the woods working at a camp, hiked and canoed and walked through life together, even when we were on opposite sides of the US.
It was a beautiful moment.
Turns out that Daylilies aren't native to North America: http://www.americanmeadows.com/... - they're prevalent along the banks of the Potomac River, and I'd been under the impression that they were local natives.
Luckily, they are definitely edible: http://www.eattheweeds.com/...