My colon cancer surgery was Thursday, June 25, 2009. It was a sweltering day in Grand Rapids. You may remember that day too—it was the same day Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett died. They were alive when I arrived at the hospital. They were gone when I woke up from surgery. The reality really hit me hard.

Returning home for recovery…my living room took on the look of a quaint little flower shop—filled with vibrant colors and floral scents. All sent by caring friends and family. Those who know me well know how much I adore flowers. And for me, it doesn’t need to be a large, expensive bouquet—it could be something as simple as a single hand-picked bud from a garden. For me, I look at a flower and can feel my pulse slow and my blood pressure begin to drop.

Still at home trying to heal from the traumatic assault [read: surgery] on my body, I heard a knock at the side door. It was Mary—one of my good friends—with a shovel, bucket, bags and other gardening tools in tow. I asked her what she was doing here. She then asked me to come to the backyard, wanting to show me something.

Mary had dug up a wide border all along my wood fence and planted hundreds of flowering bulbs, perennials and annuals—all while I was sleeping. I hugged her in thanks for making my yard absolutely beautiful. She explained there was a bigger reason for her purpose in creating this beautiful garden.

She said, next year at this same time when the bulbs start blooming and the perennials begin to burst forth with all of your favorite colors—you can look out your window and be reminded that another year has passed. And just like the flowers that come alive again, you too are alive for another year.

It was one of the most heartfelt, thoughtful and lasting gifts I have ever received.

From then on, each spring, I look out my bedroom window and smile as I remember her words. The act was so powerful. And when I have flowers in my house—I smile more as I look at them.

More on flower power

I asked my friend J Schwanke about the different attributes attached to flowers and what flowers can help us feel healthier, wealthier and wise. J is the host of the show, “J Schwanke’s Life In Bloom” on PBS and uBloom.com. He is a walking, talking encyclopedia when it comes to flowers and he was happy to share some facts with me.

For example, did you know that research says having a flower in your home makes you feel happier? Senior citizens are also more apt to seek help or medical attention for things that are bothering them if there are flowers around. And, people who receive flowers when they are sick get better, faster. If those flowers happen to be yellow in color—they get better, faster still! J half-jokingly said we have talked about health care in this country for a long time, maybe it’s just flowers!

What flowers attract wealth? When I was a little girl growing up in Detroit, we had a money tree in our backyard. I would collect all the silvery coins and imagine I was rich. Of course, money trees attract wealth. In Feng Shui the placement of a money tree is everything if you’d like to invite wealth into your life. Stand at the front door of your home, or the door to your bedroom or office facing into the room and find the far-left corner, otherwise deemed your wealth corner, and place your plant there. The “big money” plant in Feng Shui right now is the succulent. According to J, succulent plants are considered to be the perpetrator of money and wealth, with the leaves of the succulent representing coins. 

J also shared with me a book he read some time ago, that said when water runs down the drain—it’s your wealth running down the drain. The book suggested putting river rocks in your sink to slow the flow of water into your drain. (Also, when you visit J and Kelly’s home, every single sink has river rocks in it to slow down the water going into the drain.)



What about flowers that can make one wiser? According to J, that flower is the iris. The word “iris” is derived from the Greek word rainbow, and is a flower of royalty, victory and power. The iris is a symbol of wisdom, hope and trust. The Aster flower is the king of all, known for its wisdom. If I was sending you a bouquet in the Victorian era and wanted you to know I thought you were wise, I would include Aster.

Flowers are so much more than just symbolic gestures or accents in our day-to-day lives. Whether you get your floral medicines from a garden, your favorite florist or your local farmers market remember, Flower Power, is real!

Kalamazoo County Flowerfest, or Kalamazoo In Bloom volunteers have been beautifying Kalamazoo with flowers for decades. Last year on May 26^th in Bronson Park, they created three crosses, one shaped out of red annuals to show support for healthcare workers.