After a busy day of lawn mowing, weed whacking, clearing my front garden of weeds and a quick trip to the hardware store, I walked into my house to see this bouquet of flowers on my kitchen island. The card said, "Keep working on that dream. Love, Larry." I smiled for many reasons. One, his command was one that warmed my heart because as a single mother of two, my whole world is wrapped up in making life a little more palatable for my children; and two, he is one of those people that gets it.
The flowers were hand-delivered by Julie, owner of Little House of Flowers, friend first, neighbor by serendipitous luck, and another person that gets it. She said, "I just used the key and put the flowers in your kitchen, hoping you would find a nice surprise." And a nice surprise it was, and the flowers were breathtaking. I was told that Tracy, a flower arranger at Little House of Flowers (I don't know if there is a common label for what she does) had so much fun putting this together, and that she was really proud of how it turned out. As she should be! It's symbolic of how nurturing and channeling love creates exquisite beauty.
This is how Larry's simple statement of "keep working on that dream" came about. I fancy the idea of someday becoming a novelist, hip, magnetic, intellectually stimulating and above all, entertaining enough to compel readers to read the meaning behind the words - to find beauty through my words. A few days before the flowers were sent, I spoke with Larry on the telephone. (He has become one of those staple people in my lives since separating from my husband. You know, the person that wasn't intimidated by my rants, or tears, or desperation in "figuring it out". He offered me money to pay a retainer for my lawyers, he offered me compliments to allow me to keep my chin up and above all, he offered me a friendship that I didn't know was available to me). When we spoke, he asked how the world's next best-selling author was spending her time. (You see, that's awesome!) I replied by saying, "This best selling author is knee-deep in keeping her kids happy, well-fed and entertained. I'm working on that dream today." We spoke for some time, I relayed my current concerns with regard to the children, stories of their impeccable gorgeousness and eagerness and intelligence, and the current state of affairs with regard to the family, which was all positive. At that particular point in time, I was like Tracy at Little House of Flowers - a nurturer and a channeler of love.
Larry got that. He understands it. He realizes that my ultimate dream, above the desire to ceremoniously shoot the breeze on Oprah's couch about my latest release, was that of my family. Through his words, he assured me that my other dreams were still valid but that nestled inside those wants was what really mattered, and that I was achieving it.
The flowers you see above are so much more than flowers - they come with a story. Like any great novel, they have character and love and fortitude and balance. And boy, they sure are pretty.
