Buy the Roses!

This post is a combination of a Public Service Announcement (IMO)

 and my current life outlook - without getting too heavy!

I went to my local Publix this morning to pick up prescriptions for others in my family and there were roses everywhere. In the entry by the carts, on the end of the checkouts, the front aisles- everywhere. And they were BOGO - $10.99 for two dozen roses.

I am generally frugal

 (big thrifter, as you know, but willing to splurge on certain things and if the budget allows.)

I know that flowers are an extravagance and not always a good price

 or in everyone's budget..

BUT, 

(and I am not a big 'sharer' generally but this is to show you where this life view is coming from right now. And I know it could always be worse, and there were many blessings along the way, but I have not come to this lightly)

in the last 6 months my husband had a stroke on the first day of our vacation in July- in a remote area of the Keys, took 3 ambulance rides, stayed over a week in ICU, spent a month in Miami recuperating  enough to come home (thank goodness for an adult child who held down the fort and more! Thx, Mollie!!) where I received a lot of grace from my boss and worked remotely, he spent a couple of months in outpatient rehab which I chauffeured him to and then he started to work part time and I spent 3-4 hours a day driving him back and forth (it's Atlanta traffic y'all), he took a very, very expensive driving test to allow him to return to work, the dog broke his foot and had to have multiple x-rays, destroyed 2 hard casts and 1 soft bandage being "inactive" on a leash, I'm running up to VA as all of this allows because my parents are in very poor health, my mom is admitted to the hospital Thanksgiving weekend, has a second stroke, enters Hospice, we spend Christmas holidays flying back and forth to see her, my dad falls and breaks four ribs on New Years, I return to VA to bring him home and decide about care while my mom remains in Hospice, my mother passes away two days later, we are visiting Assisted Living places for my dad , I am working on arrangements for my mother's funeral and...

I called the florist (nothing against florists in any way here - please know that!) and find out that the customary spray for the top of a casket runs $200-$400 dollars and more. 

And I thought to myself in that very moment that I would much rather have a grocery store bouquet of flowers once a week, or even once a month if that's all I could swing, 

than a casket spray. 

(and yesterday, on the exact 6 month anniversary of my husband's stroke and his "official" release date, he fell off of a ladder at work and messed up his knee - back to walking with a cane!)

So, today when I walked in and saw all those roses on BOGO

I bought the roses!!

And I urge you to buy the flowers. Treat yourself to a small bouquet every so often. 

Life is short- so truly, stop and smell the flowers.

 And then, I urge you, buy them and bring them home. 

And put them where you can enjoy them!

"If you have two pennies, spend one on bread and the other on a flower.  The bread will sustain life.  The flower will give you a reason to live."  Anonymous