The Power Of A Rose

My friend Jean carried a rose into the senior center today. She suggested that the winner of the Mexican Train Dominoes would take the rose home. The rose is a soft peach color, slightly darker in the center, fading to the outside petals. The scent was captivating. Jean sat to my left, the rose sitting prettily in a small plastic used water bottle. It might as well have been a crystal vase for how much it affected each of us. It was the first time any one of us had brought something to share at the weekly dominoes game.

Low score is how you win in this game, and we were all hoping to end up low score. We played for over two hours, laughing and sharing, and visiting like we always do, and passing around the plastic bottle so we could all enjoy the tantalizing smell of home grown rose. I kept thinking how lucky Jean is to have these absolutely lovely flowers to drink in visually and cut occasionally to bring into her home. (Insert big sigh.)

When we began putting tiles away and clearing the table, I was the one with the low score. Being the winner is not the usual outcome for me when we play dominoes. But winning the game was not the best part anyway. Winning the rose was what put the sparkle in my eyes. I haven't had a fresh flower in my place since my birthday in February. That isn't a terribly long time. But having this rose within reach has brought an abundance of joy into my life. I had no idea how much I would like having a live flower to enjoy again. I don't need a large bouquet, a single rose has fulfilled my yearning, and today is only the first day. Imagine, I get to enjoy this lovely rose for many more days. I am blessed.