The Language Of Flowers

                                                       Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                       everyday is a journey.


He who plants a tree,
 he plants love; 
Tents of coolness spreading out above 
Wayfarers, he may not live to see. 
Gifts that grow are best;
 Hands that bless are blest; 
Plant-life does the rest! 
Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree, 
And his work his own reward shall be.

--Lucy Larcom.

It's certainly been a long time since I sat down and read a book cover to cover without interruption. I have an entire bookshelf full of books and magazines, some even overflowing onto the floor. I love books! I've always wanted an entire wall of bookshelves from ceiling to floor. Love, love books. 

Back in April when my cancer returned, I decided  to take advantage of the recovery season to sit down and read some of these books. One of the very first happened to be called The Language Of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. It was a book from my sister-in-law Pam for my fiftieth birthday.

The book itself is about a young girl who spent her childhood in foster care unable to connect with anyone and "her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings."
  
I read this book without interruption while undertaking my first chemo infusion. For three quarters of the book, I couldn't put it down. When the last quarter came, I couldn't deal with her choices and became afraid the book would end badly. I had to stop, put the book aside to absorb my frustration.

I thought about it for a minute. Why was it so important to me for this character to succeed? I mean, reality in itself isn't always a happy ever after. Many times, life for some even becomes worse. We don't always make the right decisions. Sometimes, we keep digging ourselves into deeper  holes filled with chains.

 The more I thought about it, the more I understood then that we are looking for a good ending. I don't care how intellectual you may be, you want a happy ending. You want to believe that there is hope for all of us. We see too much of reality out in the world. We see people struggling, losing themselves in situations beyond their scope. We want to believe in a happily ever after. 

Did the book end well? That's for you to read and find out. No spoilers here! One of my favorite things about this book was the section in the back with the different definitions of every flower out there. How lovely and romantic would it be if we received flowers based on the emotions of the giver? Or the emotions that the giver wanted to evoke in us? Alas, that's the romantic in all of us.

Have a blessed day everyone.