This rose bush was here when we first moved in. So it’s at least 18 years old. Given the state of it even then, I suspect it’s been here much, much longer. The changes it has seen over those years. Some good, some bad, some happy, some sad. It’s in a really annoying place. Right next to the front door. Constant pruning required to stop your arms and legs getting lacerated just trying to get into your own home. I dread to think how many times it’s been smashed and broken by washing machine and furniture deliveries. It’s regularly attacked by the local wildlife and pets. So yes it’s had a challenging life.

Yes it’s a tad battered. The roses are never perfect these days. Always a little worn at the edges. The foliage is getting a little thin in places. But it’s still here. Just like we are. I can’t speak for you but in my case I am so like this bush. A bit old. The body has taken one too many hits. Definitely battered and a little frayed round the edges. You could even argue that I’m starting to take root. But currently I am still here. Still trying to live. I will give thanks for that.

80 thoughts on “Battered Rose”

  1. Is it fragrant? I have a rose that looks quite similar, except it’s pink, and it’s fragrance is my balm every summer. Glad, like the rose, you’re still here. I know that during my darkest times it’s been my son who’s pulled me through. His needing me.

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  2. What a perfect metaphor! You forgot to add the part about roses being beautiful, no matter how battered or “imperfect” they are. Oh, and the part about how they always cheer one up to see or smell them.

    Yes, I think you ARE like that rose bush. Guarding, and bringing cheer to the entrance to home.🌹💌

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  6. Like you, when we moved into our present home in 2008, there was a space in our backyard that kept growing both lilies and maple twigs. Not sure why, but for the first two summers, I kept mowing them down. I think my partner wanted to put her kind of flowers there. Despite my destructive intentions, both species kept trying to grow. Finally in year three I gave up, built a flower bed over them, and sang “Que Sera Sera” over them. The lilies were the first to blossom, beautiful orange petals (not quite tiger lilies), with very thick stems and over 30 flowers per head head. They are incredible. But the maple twigs were what surprised us most. They grew into a beautiful bush, now over 10 feet tall, and about 15 feet wide. Late in July the leaves turn a fire-red, and stay that way for a few weeks before they start to fall. Along with an elm tree, and Russian Olive that were still young when we moved in, we now have what I consider the most beautiful back yard in town.
    We are so glad they never gave up trying to grow, and that I had no real idea how to kill them. We have planted a number of other trees and bushes since then, dogwoods, pines, lilacs, saskatoons, even an amur maple to offset the maple bush. Mother nature knows what she wants and where. And we are happy to oblige.
    Your rosebush looks beautiful, Gary, enjoy it while you can.

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  9. Lol 😄😄… lacerated coming into own home

    Awww they still look beautiful. They are roses 🌹 they always have beauty and smell good even when battered. Roses are hardy and also classic

    Funny it’s by the front door greeting you though … you make it sound so funny

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  13. Pingback: Battered Rose – Everything About Me In 2020

      1. It is. To do that you need to keep your heart and mind open to the fact and thought that you can. That is why the things like a simple rose…anything that way..and what you find in them, makes them more than just that simple thing.

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  17. I love how you see the similarities between you and the rose. Think of this, what surrounds you is what you need or it has similar energy like you. The rose definitely reminds about your beauty, your strength, and the ability to defy all the adversities of life… still keeping your beauty but getting stronger over the years. The rose has also a comforting aspect, it brings healing to the heart, and supports the journey through sad times. A beautiful companion!

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  21. Beautiful. A battered rose sounds so poetic. It’s not easy being a battered rose, but this reminds me of a song. (I can always remember a song. It’s a special skill.) 😃 The song is called “Above All” by Michael W. Smith. Actually, I’m also really good at remembering blog posts. I wrote a piece on my other blog called “Every Thorn Has Its Rose” The song I’m referring to accompanies this post if your interested. ☺

    Hope your day is great! Thanks for the beautiful photos. The roses look lovely even if they’re a bit rough around the edges.

    https://godskidspeaks.com/2018/03/16/every-thorn-has-its-rose/

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  22. Beautiful rose Gary, and I can so identify with your thoughts on this.
    Hubby and I ‘adopted’ a tree in the New Forest. It was old and battered, with broken branches and nobbly bits, but it had stood the test of time through all weathers. We buried two bottles with message inside in the roots, and believed that as long as that tree stood, we would be together. We haven’t been back to check, it would be too far a walk into the woods now, so we continue to trust it is still there, a bit more battered, a bit more broken, but standing tall.

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      1. It’s an old elm, and we worked it out to be about 150 years old. The bark was never cold, even in winter. We used to take decorations to it for Christmas and remove them at New Year. It was such a special place for us, an we always came away refreshed and less troubled.

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  26. We’re all a bit worse for wear, some more than others. but that’s not an admission. 🙂 Just means we’ve lived and like that rose, we keep coming back… even though the hits get harder.

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  27. I like the way you told the story which somehow prompted your friends to add to it, find further meanings in it, tell their own stories. What came into my own mind was a scraggy climbing rose (Dublin Bay) that had at least one flower blooming for eleven months of every year.

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