This drawing of the Rose of Sharon, also known as the hibiscus, was inspired by a watercolor and ink painting my cousin from Korea gave me on his first visit to the U.S.  

I think because I am the daughter of Korean immigrants, born in a small town in Western NY where I never learned to speak Korean, I have developed a way of communicating without words with my relatives. Maybe it is a bit like the way I communicate with these plants I was drawing - where I really need to rely on feelings more and also intense listening.

My cousin barely speaks English and I barely speak or understand Korean yet we are very close in a strange way. When he gave me this painting, I really understood what he was trying to convey. The art was about beauty but not just a pleasant beauty to hang on the wall. It felt like it was about the eternal connectedness that beauty allows us to tap into. 

I later learned that the Rose of Sharon is the national flower of South Korea. In Korean, the flower’s name is mu-gung-hwa which can be translated to “endless or boundless flower”. The Korean word mu-gung also translates to “eternity” or “inexhaustible abundance”. I still am amazed at what a beautiful name this flower has in the Korean language.

And, I really love the prompt that goes with this drawing...

“You already have everything you need. Do you believe it?”

In many ways, I think the story behind this card is a good example of abundance. Even without shared words and language to communicate, we can communicate. We have what we need within us to do this but it takes a knowing and believing of it to tap into it. And I really do feel that when you start tapping into that belief that what you really need is within you, the magic of abundance starts to show up for you whenever you need it to.