Send Flowers When She’s NOT Sick
When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, gifts started pouring into my home. I received baskets filled with lotions and creams and candy and cookies. I received homemade goodies and handmade trinkets. And I received flowers. Lots of flowers. MAN did I get flowers. Seems everyone wanted me to know they were thinking of me and nobody realized that I wondered if people thought I was dying.
When I was diagnosed the second time, I received more flowers. Since I was hospitalized for days after my mastectomy/reconstruction, I received some bouquets while I was there. Then I received some when I arrived home.
Six months later, I had that hysterectomy/oopherctomy and guess what? MORE FLOWERS.
Seems everyone wanted me to be surrounded by flowers when I was in the midst of such physical hell. When they died, then I had to deal with the mess they left behind (well, the people taking care of me dealt with the mess, but that’s not the point).
Fast forward to now. Let me tell you, I haven’t received flowers in forever. Not that I’m hinting to ya’ll to step up and order me some flowers (I know, you don’t have my address, or you would, right?). No, I’m just making a point.
Why do we wait until there’s a tragedy to surround the people we love with flowers? Why don’t we think to send them flowers when things are going great to celebrate that?
Send someone flowers, today. Send them to someone who is healthy. But order through ProFlowers and send something from their Pink Ribbon Collection and 10% of the sales price will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Aren’t they beautiful?
And the flowers … they’re beautiful, too.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Great idea Karen. I generally buy flowers for myself because I love them…and because people don’t send them to you when you don’t “need” them!! Sending them “just because” is an excellent thought!
November 4th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
So true…
Just been diagnosed for the third time in two years and guess what? No flowers this time…
There is an awful stigma associated with secondary cancer, I think, that pushes it all underground…
Minerva
November 5th, 2007 at 8:09 am
I think it’s because people think you are facing a death sentence — they don’t want you to think they think you’re dying. I’m sure people’s reactions to your current diagnosis are very ‘typical’ — are they?