Nobody sees a flower---really---it is so small it takes time---we haven't time---and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.
-Georgia O'Keeffe
My husband had to travel this year over Valentine's Day. It wasn't a big deal. Valentine's Day has never been something we go crazy about. In fact, we usually opt for staying in on "fancy grub" holidays to avoid the crowds. Busy restaurants hold very little romantic appeal for me.
V-day came without a big fanfare. I managed to pull off heart shaped pancakes and I let the girls dig into their box of treats from their school friends. That sugar high lasted for hours (not an exaggeration…we have a large island in our kitchen and all three girls did not stop running around it for most of the morning. Yelling like purple minions…).
Late in the evening the flowers arrived. He sent a dozen roses with a simple note to let us know that he loves us and he missed us. The flowers were color coded: three orange roses for the littlest, three white roses for the biggest, three pink roses for the oldest, and three yellow roses for me. He never told us, yet we all knew instantly who he meant each color to represent. It is wonderful to be known.
I have watched the roses bloom over the last few days. I had forgotten just how beautiful roses can be. So delicate. So rich. They have begged me to stop and smell them, and they have made me realize how fast I run. I run all the time. Running in every way: physically, spiritually, emotionally, cognitively. These flowers make me stop what I am doing to truly see them. They seem to be trying to teach me a lesson.
This quote was on a bookmarked page of a book I have been meaning to get back to for awhile. It found me tonight. "Nobody sees a flower---really---it is so small it takes time---and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time." It fit perfectly with where I am tonight. Searching for a way to be more still. Hoping to find a simple solution to a better connection with those I love.
I have been blind, but now I see. I have a renewed joy in sight. It is such a small adjustment…to simply look at the things in front of me more closely; to be present. Small, yes, but HUGE.
The best part is…my best friend is the one who helped me see it. Someone who knows how to see me and be my friend like no one else ever has.
He sent me flowers.
