<p>"Between My Country - and the Others -<br>There is a Sea -<br>But Flowers - negotiate between us -<br>As Ministry."</p><p> -Emily Dickinson </p><p>As the world grapples with the tragic human cost of the global pandemic and its aftermath, the need for kindness and gratitude has become more important than ever. <i>The Ministry of Flowers </i>is in many ways a book for our times, one that offers hope in a changing world. The poems call into stark relief the brevity of human life, while also emphasizing the urgent need to connect with others and offer acts of kindness as a way of healing and moving forward.</p><p>Taking its title from an Emily Dickinson poem, the book explores how flowers, both real and metaphorical, are at the heart of a kinder world. With a strong ecological focus, the poems celebrate nature's continual ministry in our lives and highlight the need to respect the ecosystems that sustain us. <i>The Ministry of Flowers </i>speaks eloquently to a post-pandemic society, one in which compassion as well as forgiveness (of both self and others) become the seeds of the gentler, fairer world we seek. </p>