House of Love

Musings of the Delivery Guy – February 3, 2010

Posted on 03 February 2010

We are in the emotion business.  Our job is to ameliorate pain, enhance joy, deflect anger, express gratitude, create WOW! in a space or simply be a place of love and beauty where folks can be safe .

I know it’s a lot to ask of a florist, but that’s our philosophy.

This stanza from “It’s All in the Game”  say’s it best I think.

Once in a while he won’t call

But it’s all in the game

Soon he’ll be there at your side

With a sweet bouquet

And he’ll kiss your lips

And caress your waiting fingertips

And your hearts will fly away

I love that song, especially when Van Morrison sings it.

But then there’s Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust”.

And now the purple dusk of twilight time

Steals across the meadows of my heart

High up in the sky the little stars climb

Always reminding me that we’re apart

You wander down the lane and far away

Leaving me a song that will not die

Love is now the stardust

Of yesterday

The music

Of the years

Gone by

Sometimes I wonder why I spend

The lonely nights

Dreaming of a song.

The melody haunts my reverie

And I am once again with you.

When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration.

But that was long ago, and now my consolation

Is in the stardust of a song.

Beside the garden wall, when stars are bright

You are in my arms

The nightingale tells his fairy tale

Of paradise where roses grew.

Though I dream in vain, in my heart you will remain

My stardust melody

The memory of love’s refrain.

So beautiful don’t you think

So what’s the point you might ask?

Well, it’s really to remind myself of the need to remain positive.  As the Delivery Guy I see many, many entrenched businesses closing, and many For Lease signs.  As the official Dog Walker, I see in my neighborhood many homeless families who shower every day, collect recyclables and manage to feed themselves and the dog on that meager allowance.  It’s pretty easy to get into a funk these days.

I (We) have to continually count our blessings and realize that our power to make a difference in peoples’ lives is in what we do.

And it’s not always for money.

Our effect is at arms reach and we strive to reach out every day, but sometimes you need an Angel to help you through.

A little shop story:

A few weeks ago a gentlemen came into the shop.  A bespectacled, furtive young man dressed in a heavy coat, knapsack and knit skull cap.   The kinda guy that makes you a little nervous at first blush, I don’t think he really meant to come in but was drawn in for whatever reason.  He wandered around the shop for awhile asking questions about the flowers, and finally decided to purchase a couple of roses for two little girls who were special to him.

A week later he came by when the girls were out and he mentioned to me that he wanted to speak to all three of us in person as something had happened to him during the time he arrived and the time he departed.  Me being who I am got nervous again thinking that he may have had some complaint, as he did mention to me that he spent more money than he’d planned too.  I tried to get him to explain, but he insisted on coming by the following Wednesday and speak to us all in person.

Well, he came by today dressed pretty much the same as the previous two weeks.  I didn’t interact with him, Thea had left and that left Carla to deal with him. They spoke for quite sometime, I really didn’t hear what they were talking about but Carla was misty eyed after he left.

I mentioned to her that that was the guy from last week who wanted to speak to us all about an “incident” that occurred while he was here.

What did he say?  I asked.

He really didn’t say anything about it.  He just said he appreciated the kindness and attention the girls showed him and:

“Let’s just put it this way, you’ll be my florist until I die”.

THAT was our Angel.

Arms reach.

Pay it forward.

Ciao!

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