Laughs and Love in Flowers

I can always count on the Hallmark Channel for entertainment that does not need to be filtered for the unmentionables, brain dead words, or objectionable body stripping that adds no value to stories for me. Tonight’s program “Hearts of Spring” included a great line that is perfectly in line with my love of flowers. It is actually a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The earth laughs in flowers.” Before tonight I had never heard this great quote.

In the instance of the program it provided direction to a young single mother who needed something beyond the supporting of her daughter.  It provided a career that allow her the time and work hours to rear her then young daughter. To me there was even more though nothing is more important to me than being a mom.

For me flowers spur thoughts, encouragement, comfort, even emotion that at times produces action.  I read a wonderful a book titled “The Language of Flowers” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh which opened a whole new world for me in the meaning behind flowers and how it affected the life of that young woman in the book as well. Believe me there are a lot of meanings and those meanings have changed over time.

I was particularly taken by the yellow roses in the program, the memory of that book and an especially fond memory of my own.  As a new single parent back in 1983 I had no plans to date and especially not have a relationship  that might turn into the direction of marriage.  The journey to where I am now included expanding my circle of friends and acting on my fears to either lessen them or eliminate them.  My friends in my church Sunday School class were the best which of course included the male species.  There was a particular man whose feelings towards marriage tended to mirror my own so we considered each other “safe” to be around more than on Sundays. On the first anniversary of my divorce I decided to send someone flowers to commemorate this new courage that I was experiencing.  Yes, I sent yellow roses to my safe male friend and made sure he understood that it was to celebrate this new phase in my life with my sons and nothing more. Fast forward.  I am now married to that guy and have been for over 20+ plus.  Thinking back, it started with an article read about the meaning behind each color of roses.  

Yes, for me the earth does laugh in flowers and I do laugh often.