Spreading the Love

Last month I was in Arkansas helping my florist friends, Joe & Pam, spread the love for Valentine's Day.

They have a nice, high-end flowershop and Valentine's Day is one of their busiest times of year. I got my feet wet helping with Mother's Day last year and evidently they thought I was helpful enough to have me back.

Three days before Valentine's Day we were busy. The phones were ringing; the designers were designing and basically a pretty noisy place. Joe is multi tasking like few men I know. And I might add....he loves it!

Something I had witnessed the previous May was about to happen. In this den of noise and activity a family walks in to order flowers for the casket of a loved one.

Someone gets Joe and he takes them to an area set up with a table, chairs and books of flowers. Without anyone saying anything everyone is quiet. Oh, the phone still rings and orders are taken, flowers are still arranged and deliveries go out but all this happens in hushed voices. Joe takes the time with the family like he has nothing else to do or think about. It's like the space around that table is in a bubble....

Joe shows us the meaning of spreading the love.

It's a hard thing to do to make preparations to bury your loved one and in this shop, on this day, at this moment it is the most important thing we do.

The husband pays for his wifes flowers. As he turns to go he looks around and notices all the roses, chocolates and valentines. Joe has returned to his work in the back and the man returns and asks me if he can talk to Joe again. I get Joe and with tears in their eyes quiet words are exchanged between the two men. Joe pats the man on the shoulder and they part.

Later I asked what the man wanted and Joe said the man wanted to know if he could have a single red rose for the inside of the casket for his valentine. This elderly man was burying his wife on Valentine's Day.

There wasn't a dry in the shop and you can believe me when I say that on Monday, February 14, 2011, at 2 pm we were all thinking about that family and especially that sweet man.