The Greatest Gift

One evening, early in December we came home to discover two huge and gorgeous pots full of geraniums sitting on our planter boxes, flanking our front door.  There was a card attached that said they were from our Christmas Elf.

That silly elf forgot that her handwriting is completely recognizable, therefore, the gig was up.

Our dear, sweet, amazing and wonderful friend M had spent 3 months growing those beautiful flowers and then repotted them and placed them there as a gift for us.  She has the greenest of thumbs and her front walkway is a veritable smorgasbord of flowers and plantlife in all its glory.

Oh, you wanna see?  Of course you do....

Adorable, no?

And yes, yes I did paint my front door yellow (with spray paint) before we even moved in.  Jere hates it.  I LURVE it!

Anyway....I can not even BEGIN to tell you how much this gift means to me.  Not only because red geraniums are my FAVORITE (right next to gerbera daisies), but because she is THAT thoughtful.

You see, my beloved M is in the midst of a very, VERY difficult health battle.  She is fighting cancer with all she has, and has been for a long time.  I truly don't think I've met anyone with a more positive or beautiful outlook on life.  In spite of her constant pain, her constant discomfort, she is ALWAYS 100% put together.  A day doesn't go by that she doesn't have her hair and makeup done.  There is always a smile on her face and a positive word to share.  She truly believes in the mantra that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  Needless to say, she's pretty beloved by all her doctors, nurses, lab techs, and the rest of us friends.

So, to think that WE somehow merited this beautiful gift from her heart, well, it's just makes me all the more grateful and maybe a little teary.  Well, the tears might also be from my utter fear that I might kill these precious flowers.  Because seriously.....I have a black thumb of death.  Plants and I are not generally on good terms.  However, I am bound and determined to keep these beautiful flowers blooming and happy for as long as M says they shall.  She has given me tips and pointers on what to do, and informed me that they should be good to go until May.  I'm proud to say....so far....so good.

Everytime I drive by, or walk up to my front door I literally just smile.  Smile at the thought of M, smile at the flowers beauty, smile at how much they add to my front walk, and just SMILE at the knowledge that no matter what crap we face in life, there is always something beautiful, and attitude truly is EVERYTHING!

So thank you M, THANK YOU for the GREATEST GIFT!!!

Flower pots and hopeful hearts,

Allyson