The story behind the design: the Single Rose

the Single Rose

As a child, I spend hours with my grandparents. They owned majority of the farmland that surrounded my parent's acreage. Their property was a hop, skip & a creek away from my home. I would often venture through the pasture, jump the creek & climb the fence to spend the day with my Grandma. I was always welcomed with her stunning brown eyes and warm smile. I exhaled & relaxed. 

We often think of red roses for Valentine's day yet summer days were full of roses at my grandparent's. My grandfather was a hardworking farmer. Before the sun would rise & long after it would set, he would work the land, feed the cattle & assist neighbors with chores that could lend an extra hand. 

My grandma & I would prepare sandwiches, fruit and a special treat for lunch. We would then take a trip to deliver it to my grandfather and whoever else was helping that day. I remember being overjoyed to go on these adventures with her. Although, we traveled less than a quarter of a mile most days it was a delight! We would deliver lunch and rarely my grandfather would stop long enough to inhale his food. Work needed to be done & it wasn't going to do itself. 

My grandma never complained nor expressed sorrow for the lack of affection during those lunch breaks. It was her contribution to the day & the hard farm work that was necessary for their livelihood. I honestly think though that she looked forward to that special gift that my grandfather would bring her at supper time.

The single rose! 

He always came in from his labors and would sit at the table and enjoy supper with her. He would stop by his rose garden and pick her the most treasured flower, fill a glass dish with water & simple place it in the center of the table. My grandma would smell the flower & then smile at him with those warm radiant eyes. (yes, tears are now streaming from mine). 

The single rose was the simplest yet most touching way of saying I love you! To be honest, I don't have a memory of my grandparents actually vocalizing their love for each other out loud. I knew though! I knew from the simplest gesture of a single rose!