Roses--and Legacies--Bloom Forever
June 1, 2011
Newsletter #22Dear Friends,
Since June is the month of roses, I thought I’d write about how Aunt Freida's roses kept her steady company for 81 years and now bloom in our backyard.
She was 10 years old when her mother returned from a mile-long walk to town with slips from a friend's rosebush tucked in a basket along with groceries.
In the early years the roses made a colorful backdrop while Freida and her sisters picked tomatoes and potatoes from their garden. During breaks, they smelled the roses and talked about their beaus.
Later the roses moved with the family to the town of Gratz, where Freida would put a nephew, my husband Bill, into a baby carriage and hand him a bouquet of roses. Off they went to decorate the graves of loved ones, including the resting place of Bill’s mother.
When Freida and her husband moved to a neighboring town, she gloried in growing and giving away lettuce, radishes and, of course, roses. The couple supplied bouquets to decorate their church’s altar and banquet tables.
After she became a widow, Freida moved back to Gratz, bringing along her roses.
At her 90th birthday party, each guest gave “the rose lady” a silk rose that reminded them of her.
Aunt Freida’s roses spread their fragrance over every decade of her life and that fragrance touched my husband’s life. Now that Freida's gone, he lovingly nurtures those roses in our backyard.
So it is with legacies. What legacy have you received from someone? A talent? An appreciation of beauty? A legacy of faith? If they’re still alive, thank them.
And what will others remember about you after you’re gone? That’s a good question to ponder during this week following Memorial Day.
Take time to smell the roses.
Shirley Brosius
Just an invitation: Please “Friend” me on Facebook or drop me a note at sbrosius@epix.net to let me know how you’re doing. I’d love to hear about a legacy you’ve received or one you hope to pass forward. And a special shout out to the wonderful women we met this spring at Mother/Daughter events and retreats. You are special, and you are loved.
Summer Speaking Engagements:
July 11, 12 noon - York Women's Connection, "Trusting the Hand in the Glove."
July 12, 11:30 - Harrisburg Women's Connection, "Trusting the Hand in the Glove."
July 13, 9 a.m. - Hershey Women's Connection, "Trusting the Hand in the Glove."
July 17, 9 a.m. - Lykens Valley Campmeeting, Elizabethville, during the Sunday school hour, including a dramatic presentation of scripture.
July 21, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Adamstown Area Library, Adamstown, “Passing On Legacies Through Publishing.”
August 8, 11 a.m. - Friends of the Heart - Millersburg Area Senior Center, "At Any Age, At Any Stage: Celebrating Life."
August 19-21 – Friends of the Heart - Camp Allegheny at Stoystown, “At Any Age, At Any Stage: Celebrating the Christian Life.”