I am so grateful that the opening day was filled so much blessings! It was a lovely day in the Autumn of Oregon and my heart was warmed by all the love I received on this day! God's grace is sufficient for me.
My friend came to help me in the morning, we were sipping hot coffee and chatting away, surrounded by beautiful flowers. A restaurant owner who is right next door came shortly after the doors opened. Of course I was delighted to have someone walk into my shop! He wanted a floral arrangement to be delivered to his friend at a hospital. I thought it was the kindest gesture and immediately I knew in my heart that this is what I want to do, be a part of kindness for the rest of my life! I was so happy to do this for him and his friend, I was going to make sure this heartfelt message was delivered with love.
More surprises were waiting for me that day, a neighbor lady who loves gardening came and I was so surprised to see her! I gave her a big hug! We chatted away!
The next surprise was my daughter's school teacher! I was so touched by this also. I felt like I should be the one thanking her and giving her a gift but instead here she was, supporting me. I was just so grateful for her kindness.
The day before, a guy who works upstairs stopped by and asked me if he could buy a few succulents before the opening and I said, of course! He said his girlfriend likes the furry ones with texture and wanted to take some as a gift for her. What a sweet guy! He said he was happy to see a flower shop open in this spot and wanted to drop by and show me support. At this point I started wondering, are all Oregonians this nice?
A few days before the opening, a pet grooming store owner dropped by and gave me a huge amount of cut flowers from her own garden! They were beautiful! She asked me if I could use any of them and I thought to myself, is there an angel over me? This kind of kindness from a stranger is unheard of. I was stunned.
The second day of the studio opening, I had a private party. It was a practice of a "Floral Social" that I am going to offer in my studio, kind of like a flower workshop, except I am not teaching anything, everybody is on their own! Its more focused on having fun and sharing friendship as you are expressing your creativity through gathering flowers in your own way! Why do you need to study anything for that? You just have to enjoy it. That is what I believe.
As I was setting up the table, I decided to bring out the big floral arrangement I made for the opening day and place it on the table. I didn't think it would sell and I was content that it served as a show piece for my studio. A guy walks in and introduces himself shortly after. Turns out he is also an owner of a neighbor shop. he wants to get the big arrangement for his wife since she loves lilies and he wants to give this to her before he leaves for a trip tomorrow. He said she was going to love it! At this point I didn't know what to think. This new life was strange. This was almost too many good things happening all at once. I felt so indebted to the whole neighborhood, to the world! I never expected any of this.
And it didn't end there, new friends from the neighborhood showed up with their kids and husbands and cheered me on with gifts that they brought. They insisted that they buy from my shop also. They carved this time out of their busy day, I honestly did not understand why these people were so nice to me.
My friend who watched me pack the biggest arrangement in a box asked me, if the guy is leaving for a trip tomorrow, why is he buying this? I told her, he doesn't want his wife to be lonely when he leaves. He wants the flowers to be there at least. My friend was silent for a minute there.
I am so blessed to be around these kind of people. I just don't know what to say, except thank you. I am so honored and happy to be a part of this incredible community and I hope that I can become that neighborhood's favorite florist, someone who knows their mother's favorite color, someone who knows their wife's favorite flower. Just a humble, a friendly neighborhood florist.
