"Love Blooms"

Celebrate lives saved and lives lost

#plantabloom #celebratelivessavedandliveslost

 

I dread April!  But not anymore…

 

A year ago today, my husband’s body was slowly wasting away from COVID.  I would say he had severe COVID as he had hardly any breath sounds by the second week; respiration was rapid more than 30’s; fever remittent for two weeks and had difficulty talking from shortness of breath.  Exactly today, our friend passed away after fighting for almost two weeks in the ICU; this was just a week after another friend succumbed from COVID.  There were a number of our friends who also got ill and decided to stay home. Our church family was totally devastated.

 

I did not update my husband about the deaths of our friends as he was still fighting for his own.  With wisdom coming from above we decided for him to stay home and I will be the one taking care of him together with his family physician kindly co-managing everything remotely.  Family and friends came together bringing vegetables and fruits, and lots of food.  Prayers stormed heaven for all families affected. 

 

There were moments of fear and sadness but mostly at this time, I just felt God’s presence holding us up, strengthening us during our lowest moments.  God’s plan for my husband brought great joy to me and my family.  By His grace, He delivered him.

But God’s plans for our other friends were not something we could be visibly happy about, yet we could still thank God and celebrate their lives.

 

In April and the succeeding months that follow, my own family and church family experienced death after death. Memorial services were done almost every week, from COVID and other causes. It seemed there was no end to mourning.  And that stuck to me in 2020. While bringing words of comfort to others, my own heart was agonizing but every now and then God’s promises would resurface.  When I was truly down, His words and songs brought some inner peace and real comfort.

Yet I will not deny that I would look up to the skies and ask God a few questions.  But the same answer came back to me, “your life is not your own; it’s just borrowed for a while.”  I learn to cherish every living moment and celebrate life and to be thankful in whatever circumstance.

 

My sister has been fighting cancer for a number of years.  She was a real strong fighter but she lost her battle in May.  We were really heartbroken.  We could not even be with her husband nor physically see her urn in North Carolina.  We haven’t even done a memorial service for her. She loved to plant and grow flowers, so we vowed to plant or have a plant to dedicate to her.  I have not been gifted with a green thumb, but my husband gave me a cutting before he got sick but it withered away, so I promised to resuscitate it and nurture it for her. And it did live up to now.

 

Another tragedy in our family came when my husband’s young, strong nephew who was working very hard as a doctor in the frontlines in the Philippines died suddenly from possible COVID.  Very shocking indeed!

Fast forward in August, just when we were thanking God for allowing my husband to recover and celebrating his birthday with family, my sister from BC called that her husband passed away.  A week later, my brother-in-law’s son was killed in a car accident in California.  I was just all numbed by the succession of many deaths from family and friends all over the world. 

 

In October, I told my family I wanted to plant tulips.  They did not question me.  My husband bought me the soil I needed and they bought a total of 100 bulbs.  He helped me prepare the buckets I would use and where I could put the bulbs to sleep at our patio. Mr. Youtube provided me online courses on how to plant tulips in containers and I was all set.

 

Unbeknownst to anyone, the reason I planted tulips was because I wanted to look forward to spring.  I wanted to mark spring as a beginning of life instead of end of lives.  I don’t want to be sad when spring comes and the memories of all the sufferings will flood back to me.  I said there’s got to be joy and something to be thankful for.  I want to celebrate my daughter’s birthday before April sets in with a genuine smile since we never were able to do it last year because her dad was ill.

 

I want to remember my church family friends with a smile on my face.  I want to reminisce about moments spent with my sister with joy in my heart. I want to honor the loved ones of my loved ones and give them something to smile about.  That’s why I planted the tulips. Each bucket is dedicated to my loved ones and friends.

My friend nurse said,

“You ‘created life’ of the tulips

For the ones you lost”

 

She added, “So when you look at the tulips, you are seeing your family and friends who have passed.  They’re gone but never forgotten, and be thankful that they are no longer suffering.”  Absolutely! She got it!

 

So this is what my “Plant a Bloom” challenge to myself is all about.  I grew “Love Blooms” to thank God for my daughter’s birthday and for my husband’s recovery.  I grew “Love Blooms” to remember with a smile my sister Len, sister’s stepson Joshua, Dr. Bong, and brother-in-law Bill.  I grew “Love Blooms” to put a smile on my dear friends’ faces in my church family who lost loved ones during the pandemic.

 

The tulip blooms express our love and gratitude for lives saved and lives lost. So would you like to join me in my “PlantaBloom” Challenge?  Since it is planting season, join me by planting at least one specific flower-bearing plant or nurture any plant to show love for families who lost loved ones and remember with a smile those who passed.  Please put up your progress and photos of your “blooms” on facebook,  tag me and hashtag  #plantabloom or #celebratelivessavedandliveslost.  Pass this on to at least 5 friends and let’s run it for the rest of spring and summer.

 

Now, here’s my progress:

About 3 weeks ago, March 26^th, I saw the first sprouts of my tulips.  Three buckets first, then the last bucket the week later.  I was so giddy with happiness. My first ever love blooms is about to happen.  I gave the first small bucket where I planted about 12 bulbs to our daughter for her birthday on March 31^st.   I was praying hard for an early bloom but that was really forcing nature hard.  She was happy to take it home and 5 days later, Voila!  The first pink love bloom surprised her!

 

This week, I have never watched the weather network like I ever did before. I usually just wear layers to work and not get fixated with the ups and downs of the temperature.  But because of my tulips, I had to monitor closely and had to bring them in and out of the house when the temperature dropped! Wow, so much work!

 

Today, for three days now, the two buckets have displayed their white, yellow, light pink, and dark purplish pink colours. Being new to planting I did not label the buckets but basing from the looks, the first blooms would be the triumph tulips.  One bucket dedicated to my husband; one bucket for my church family friends and one bucket for my family who passed away. 

I’d say I think of my sister when I watch the yellow colours because she is always looking at the sunny side of life.  But white is great, too because she has such a pure spirit in her. Oh, she also loved purplish pink! But regardless, all the blooms make me happy and think happy thoughts of those I miss and those I love.

 

I love you family and friends.  I say it with my “Love Blooms!” But the greatest love of all is God’s love. For it never fails!

 

“One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”

E.G. White