Tags
flower fairies, Happy Flowers, how to pull out of a low mood, INSPIRATION, inspirational stories, neighbors, remembering the elderly, spreading sunshine, token gifts of flowers
Lynda, my Alabama WordPress neighbor, told a sweet story today about a basket of daisies. Her tale triggered a memory that transported me back to a fall afternoon in Natchez, Mississippi. The memory had floated downstream in my memory bank, but I found it nestled comfortably in the placid waters of my reflections.
And I was looking for a studio!
Almost twenty years ago, the town and people of Natchez Mississippi captured my heart. Time and neglect altered one eyesore of an old home that anchored a corner of that historic area of town. With the zoning board’s blessings, my former husband and I had the honor of restoring that ugly duckling back into the swan that she once was! A bonus to that project was meeting the dear sweet neighbors, some who became very good friends.
Life had other plans for me, and years later I returned to Natchez on a three-state visit to see my loved ones. A friend told me, “Oh Lisa! You know that couple that lived down the street? The ones that you loved so much? He died.”
My mind raced as I named the different people who lived near that house. I suspected it was the couple with the well-tended postage stamp of a front yard that always smiled with flowers. This time their yard was barren, which confirmed who was suffering with grief.
“Oh Lisa!” she exclaimed,“What will I do? He was my life!”
My heart ached for her, and I spent as much time with her as possible before moving to the next area of the state. As a parting gift, I bought a few packs of pansies and some pots of bright yellow chrysanthemums. I parked around the corner from her house, sneaked around and left them at her front door. A year later when I returned for a visit, she opened the door, looked at me and stated, ‘You’re the one who left those flowers.’
Happy Flowers – Marigolds smile from a market display in Cuenca Ecuador.
Long ago I illustrated three books for a 90-year old woman who was legally blind. Whenever I stopped by her house, she asked me to read the mail that had arrived since my last visit. She touched my heart deeply when she once said, “If I could live my life differently, the one thing I would change would be to visit the elderly more often.”
Since then, I have tried to always pause and make time for the elderly. Do you have an elderly neighbor, a friend who has lost a loved one, a friend who is suffering from a loss? If so, why not play ‘Flower Fairy” and surprise them with a token pot of bright flowers from the garden center and leave a happy smile on their doorstep? Are you suffering from a loss? Find a partner in the mischief and become flower fairies! Spreading sunshine is infectious, and you’ll find your heart a bit happier!
Here in Ecuador I pause and speak to my old friend in the wheelchair. (His handshake is bone-crushing strong!) For him, a smile and my attention are the flowers for his day.
Enjoy another Flower Fairy’s post here: Once Upon A Time In The West – Memories Of May Day. Thanks, Lynda, (Life on the Farmlet) for triggering these memories; thanks also for lighting our way to new ones!
May you find creative ways to spread sunshine on others’ lives this week, this month, this year! Some of that sunshine will rub off on you! Happy May Day!
Z
A beautiful story! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
thank you! it’s so easy to spread sunshine, but sometimes we get too busy with our own lives to remember others. gracias for your comment! z
it´s incredible how we run for the life forgetting We all will be old, this post make me meditate about this, thanks for sharing this history
thank you amiga… you are such a sensitive and deep-thinking person. i am so glad that we’ve met! i’m brushing the finish on the floor HOY!
Why doesn’t this surprise me? You, madam, have a heart of gold.
Fabulous post. Fantastic idea.
thank you, amiga. you have a pretty special heart as well!
i’m stil thinking about your images from the 70’s and now! that was also a great post! z
What a wonderful story and Blog and you are right! We should be a village again. Thanks for posting this!
thank you; our elders would appreciate the extra attention.
Lovely memories and it is such a sweet idea to be a flower fairy. Do you remember or know the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicely_Mary_Barker ? Her life story is interesting too and involves a great deal of family care and compassion. I love to spend time with the elderly but the funny thing is that I often find they are the fairies to me, dropping by with cakes and goodies or simply a lovely smile. I admire their spirit enormously.
http://www.flickriver.com/groups/cicelymarybarker/pool/interesting/ This is some more of her work.
that was such a sweet website! thank you! z
Until I read your post, it was what I always thought of when someone mentioned Flower Fairies. Now I have another dimension to add.
Such a beautiful post to read tonight.. You are a wonderful person and it’s people like you that make this world brighter..
One day I will go to Natchez and take some pictures for you 🙂
you should love natchez; st francisville is really nice as well. if you get ready to go, let me know and i’ll give you the contact info of a friend who lives there.
how beautiful just like your soul…is true we should give time to the elderly, great post lisa!
thank you, doris. you are a beautiful soul who gives a lot of herself. maybe it comes with being an artist?
it sure does
This was a beautiful post Lisa. My mother-in-law and I were just discussing today how the elderly are often cast aside here in the US.
yes, you are right, and your mother in law surely treasures that you’re there with her. it’s so great to see how the families take care of their elders here. there was a blind lady who walked with her daughter and grandson during sunday’s march. they were so kind and patient with her!
We loved to watch several generations walking arm-in-arm when we traveled to Costa Rica and Mexico. Truly uplifting! 🙂
Reblogged this on The ObamaCrat.Com™ and commented:
May Flowers bring sunshine and warm hearts. Thank you Ms. Z.
Lovely, Lisa. Surprisingly, I have many friends who are doing just what you suggest. I have no children, and often worry about what it will be like for me when I am oldER. Will there be someone nice to come with flowers or to share my memories with? I can’t say. But I can hope.
Thank you for the wonderful shout out too! I am so glad that my memory sparked your memories! xo!
hey
you are so right, and we can hope that the younger generation remembers to cherish their elders! always!
gracias for: “…Natchez, Mississippi. The memory had floated downstream in my memory bank, but I found it nestled comfortably in the placid waters of my reflections…”
thank you so much; that is basically what happened, and it’s so lovely when a memory like that resurfaces.
What a stunning house! (And I note the deer and Christmas trees in the lawn!) The project and its results reveal your good heart and love of things and people around you.
hey
that photo was taken, i think in 2009 when i was back for a quick trip/visit. the small eucalyptus tree now towers on the side of the house where the original ‘carriage’ entrance was located! it always feels good when i reflect on how overgrown the entire yard was, and how unkempt the house, but its bones were strong and it blossomed again.
Beautiful and inspiring as always Lisa. Don’t expect anything less from you.
I promise to do just that 🙂
it’s fun to leave a smile behind for others to discover later.
Lisa – Now we know why we found flowers at our door one day a few months ago – the flower fairy visited! We are glad to know that we are in your circle of friends. It is so nice of you to visit us, “elderly folk”
i just chuckled! (did i leave flowers at their door?) i had forgotten about that side trip while being driven home! yes, you poor dear elderlies were surely snoozing w/o your hearing aids!
beautiful post and so inspiring indeed …nice work..i like all your clicks lisa ..keep it up!! xo
thank you so much! leaving flowers is an easy way to pass the smile to others!
beautiful pix and I love that song, too!
hey! thank you, and i’m glad that the song makes you happy as well! ‘i gotta pocket full of sunshine….
What a thoughtful gift you gave to your ex-neighbor. And I admire you for the time you give others. 🙂
Thank you! She deserved so much more and certainly needed a splash of color.
What an inspiring post! Thank you for this bright outlook, shared for all of your readers! I hope it spreads joy and kindness wildly!
thank you, cindy! flowers have a way of smiling, don’t they?
Sigh..trying to catch up on reading blogs..my internet has been wacky. OK, now I can’t decide what is my favorite post of yours. I am so touched by this story. Thanks amiga for the heartwarming historia.
i am so glad that you enjoyed the post! yes, i too am way behind, but catching up is always a comfort.. i enjoy following my favorite writers!
Thanks so much for seeing, and caring!
consider a pot of bright smiling flowers waiting on your doorstop! if i were there, i’d have left some for you!