Yesterday, Aaron and I had so much fun making our annual delivery of Valentine roses to Paradigm, his day group. The roses are given by our local Dillon’s store, made possible by our sweet friend, Jody.
I have more fun with this than Aaron does. He gets nervous about it, wanting things to go just so-so according to his perceived plans.
“Mom,” he told me on our way to Paradigm, “boys shouldn’t get roses.”
“Boys can have a rose if they want one,” I replied.
“But I see only women as being for roses,” he countered.
Oh Aaron.
So, you can see that Aaron had his mind made up about how this should operate. I gave him a little pre-event briefing as we drove there, and all was well as far as the guys getting a rose from Aaron.
The roses put smiles on many faces on this Valentine’s Day. I never capture it in pictures the way I would like but here are a few shots.
Even Piper, the dog, had a rose offered to him by Aaron.
When I watch Aaron’s friends, either at Paradigm or elsewhere, I am so touched by each of their physical struggles. Recently, Aaron casually mentioned a big change for one of his friends. It hit me hard. I wanted to hide behind a closed door away from Aaron and just cry for this dear person.
I watch these special friends of Aaron’s when I pick him up at the end of his day. Many of their struggles are physical and easily seen. Some are not so visible but are there just the same.
I am inspired by their strength amid their daily difficulties…how they accept their situations and keep going…how they laugh and hug and give of themselves to each other.
I saw a quote about a rose that I loved.
“A rose doesn’t talk about its beauty; it just shows it.”
When I look at our special ones, I see a unique kind of beauty. They don’t know how beautiful they really are…beautiful in the ways that count.
They don’t talk about their beauty, but they certainly show it in how they love and how they live with resilience and acceptance and strength.
They’re not held up by the world as models of fame and beauty.
They don’t swoosh in on a red carpet, cameras flashing, people clapping, gushing with their own vain glory, the subject of tomorrow’s headlines and news reels and parades.
But oh, they show a beauty that far exceeds the gaudy, self-serving lives that are idolized by so much of the world.
I would give them a million roses if I could, but I hope that the one rose they received yesterday reminds them that they are the true beauties of this world…and they show it every day without saying a word.
He Said What?! 