Still Bringing Flowers
10 April 2012
Some of the most fun I have is every other week when the blogosphere comes alive with bloggers all writing on the same subject. Today’s #LetsBlogOff topic is “Flowers.” Spring is in the air, at lest in the Northern Hemisphere. And spring means flowers, or the promise of flowers depending on your gardening prowess. Tell us your favorite flower story.
“She’s Still a Knockout!”
Flowers are absolutely essential to our marriage. In August it will be 36 years, and over the years I have faithfully sent her flowers on at least two occasions a year: our wedding anniversary and on Valentine’s Day. There have also been a few other occasions (a promotion she got stands out) when I have sent long-stemmed roses, but, come what may, always on those two days.
One of the virtues of a good marriage is the freedom of simply being honest with each other. When we first married, we discussed Valentine’s Day, and she told me that she loved flowers and loved getting them at the office because she liked the attention. And, finally, she enjoyed getting them in advance of the day so she could enjoy them longer. And from that time to this, that has been my “marching orders.” But lest that sound too formalistic, I hasten to add that I thoroughly enjoy doing it: deciding what flowers to send, getting a card and writing something in it, sending them on the way, waiting for her excited phone call: it’s all of a piece and all thoroughly wonderful to me.
Somewhere along the line I got the idea of sending a rose for every year of our marriage on our anniversary. In the beginning, it was one rose in a grouping of white and yellow daisies (her favorite flowers), but as the years went by the roses began crowding the daisies. When it got to ten, I started sending a rose for each year surrounded by baby’s breath. On our 25th I sent a single red rose and then, because of the mounting expense, started over. One white rose for the first twenty-five, one red for each year since. It’s starting to get a bit pricey again, but nothing in this world could get me to give up the pleasure of sending her flowers, and especially not on our anniversary.
After so many years of doing this, it all starts to run together, but there are a few years that stand out, one in particular. It was our eighteenth wedding anniversary, and we’d been in our new home less than two years. I’d begun a most ambitious remodeling plan the day after we moved in, so money was fairly tight. This time she said to me, “Please don’t send me roses this year. We should really save the money for our remodeling expenses.”
So that explains the rather sorry-looking “flowers” that accompany this blog. By then I had a garage full of woodworking tools, but not yet the skills I have now. And, also, truth to tell, I didn’t think she would keep them! The idea was that for the price of a bit of pine and a handful of cut-up dowels I could keep the tradition alive and do so for a couple of bucks. All it would cost me was my time. When she came home the weekend of our anniversary, I presented her with the flowers, and she was so touched that she’s insisted on keeping them all these years.
We have always kept our cards to each other: two big boxes under the bed with well over 350 cards! Since I’ve invited you into so private a part of our lives together, I’ll share the accompanying note with you:
“Now, Christine, you know it wooden be an anniversary if I didn’t give you flowers. You said no roses, but there is still a blossom here for each year of our marriage, eighteen of them now, shaped this time with my own hands. It turned out to be quite a bit of work, but it gave me a chance to reflect on so many marvelous years with a woman I love more than life itself. Because to me you are life-and with your smile, your laugh, the gentle touch of your hand, the things you do for me-you prove it to me every day. I don’t know if love necessarily conquers all, but love with you certainly knocks me out!”
Joseph
This blog post is part of a blog-off series with a group of bloggers from different professions and world views. To see how others handled this theme, please check out the postings below. We will add links as they publish.
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3 Responses to “Still Bringing Flowers”
April 10th, 2012 at 12:10 PM
This is beautiful Joe, and a wonderful keep sake. Thanks so much for sharing!
April 14th, 2012 at 2:21 PM
Oh, you are so romantic! And those wooden flowers are beautiful.
April 14th, 2012 at 2:40 PM
Thank you both for your comments. But I disagree, Pat. Those wooden flowers are terrible! I never dreamt she’d keep them! But we’ve had them now just a few months shy of half our marriage.