Cut to ground level, and it didn’t die……

I’m not the greatest lovers of roses, and especially red roses, but my husband loved red roses and planted this rose bush about 20 years ago. It was his pride and joy as at one stage it was twice the size it is today and bloomed profusely. It’s called Dublin Bay.

May 1st 2020, my darling husband died, we had been together for 41 years and were very happy. He was my best friend and we had great times, and also challenging ones which we navigated together. So this rose was special to me because of him.

In June ‘21, I needed work doing outside and an area dug up and paved, right beside where the rose was. The only instruction was “clear everything but do not touch the rose”, but when I got home that evening it was cut down to ground level - gone!!! I cried and cried and then got my shovel and fork and went out to see if I could salvage a root and eventually I found the main root, still intact and I carefully put it into a pot.

That pot stayed beside the back door for well over a year, with me watering it, feeding it and talking to it, until one morning I went out and there was the tiniest shoot - growth :-)

That’s now 2 years ago, and it is strong and healthy and this year is blooming profusely again. It may be called Dublin Bay but to me it will always be ‘David’s Rose’.

The point of this tale is that sometimes we get knocked down to ground level, flattened, and it may seem hopeless but with some careful nurturing we can find our way back to life. Do not loose hope. We need to take time to lick our wounds but only so much time. Eventually we need to move again like the small shoot on the rose, gently, carefully until we gain strength and are able to reach out some more.

For me it has always been gratitude which has kept me going even after my husband died. I was absolutely distraught but I had to find something and it was gratitude.

I was so grateful to have met this amazing person and been able to share my life with him for so many years. I was grateful of all the times we had together, of how we shaped each other to become the people we were and so much more. It gave me perspective and balance amid all the grief.

One of my favourite quotes is by Rumi:

“Wear Gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life”

#coaching gratitude #grief #hope #loss