The azaleas didn’t get the memo. Neither did the dogwoods.

What memo?

The one that said extravagance is out and sensibility is in. The one that said it is time to cut back. I guess Mother Nature just doesn’t care that Wall Street is crashing and Main Street is struggling.

A ride around town or country will highlight the beauties of spring and it looks as if the colors are as splendid as ever. And just as abundant. I’m thinking scripture.

“See how the lilies (azaleas, dogwoods and amaryllises) of the fields grow. They do not labor or spin (or worry). Yet, I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these,” Matthew 6:28-29).

Mother Nature is not the only one who didn’t get the memo. Father Time didn’t either. The economy might be slowing down, but Father Time just keeps on ticking faster and faster. I guess if there is a silver lining to hard times, it’s that they come and go faster than they used to.

I talked about this a few months ago. We watch the news, network and cable, and there is always someone on that box called television telling us 24/7 about all the bad things. Look up the word “incessant” in your dictionary and if it doesn’t show you a picture of television bad news, buy another dictionary. If you can afford it!

I don’t mean to play ostrich today. You who read this column know that I pay attention to what’s going on and many times, either try to tell it like I think it is, or even poke a little fun at current events. Today, however, I would like to acknowledge Mother Nature and Father Time and the fact that there are many people, places and things that are like that Timex watch that John Cameron Swayze used to hawk. They might take a licking, but they keep on ticking.

Falling leaves didn’t get the memo. They haven’t taken a downturn this year. Same with the pollen and I got a sneaky feeling that a little later in the year, we’ll find that the mosquitoes and the gnats will not be reduced like the dollar.

Little Bit, our dog, didn’t get the memo. Let the Market go up 1,000 points or down that much; he is not affected. When Donna Sue or I drive in and, whether we have been gone an hour or a day, that precious dog is there to greet us as if we were king or queen.

That reminds me of a friend who wanted to talk. His girlfriend had left him high and dry, yet she had the gall to call him and ask him if he would let his dog come and stay with her. She had a lot of audacity to ask such a thing, but he was actually considering her request.

I said, “You better not let that dog go.” I asked him to remember who had treated him most loyally, the dog or the girl? Who really liked to see you come home, I asked? He kept the dog!

I mentioned the azaleas and the dogwoods, but forgot to mention the fruit trees. The wild plum trees, peach trees, fig trees, and, on our deck, the citrus trees, all are blooming and responding in their own special ways to humanity’s follies.

There are many more people who didn’t get the memo. My grandson, Cameron, didn’t get it.

My daughter called me and told me that Cam’s picture was on a Web site and he was riding a horse. I looked the site up and, sure enough, there was Cowboy Cam. He was smiling from ear to ear and didn’t care one iota about the economic downturn. And when I see him in a few weeks and he runs and jumps in my arms, I will not think of losses incurred, but of wonderful blessings.

This past Sunday, there were many who didn’t get the memo. There had been no diminishing of culinary skills at the covered dish luncheon. The chicken and biscuit dish had not lost any value in the market. Wall Street might be a bear. That’s a negative market for all of you who might not know that language.

But I was in a bullish mood as I took a little bit from as many dishes as I could. I bought many shares of the rutabagas and banana pudding. The roast beef and fried chicken were good buys, too, as was the ham. I think everyone was pleased and we could all say that our local market closed high.

In this time of diminishing returns and reductions of all kinds, there is one more aspect that bears mention. I believe it is the most important thing for us to remember. It involves a name and some numbers.

The name is John and the numbers are 3 and 16. When that name and those numbers are put together, the result is John 3:16. When that was read and talked about on Sunday, it was just as powerful as it was when it was written long ago or thought about in the mind of the One who knows all things.

We live in a world of ups and downs. There might even be more downs than ups from here on out. I don’t know about that, but this I do know. John 3:16 is still the greatest truth of all time and greater than any memo that mankind will ever write. It’s the one memo you do want to get!