The Rose

When I was just a young boy, around 10 or 12, I started having a recurring dream. The dream was about a dark haired girl who was standing in front of our house near a planter filled with roses. She was really cute and really fun and always smiling. In my dream her name was Debbie. I am not sure what the rosebushes had to do with it, but they were beautiful and so was she. I must have had that dream a dozen times and I couldn’t stop thinking about her even during the daytime. I can still remember that dream today like it just happened.

Fast forward 46 years later. I dated a lot of girls over the years, got married way too young and divorced way too late, but finally met and married a dark haired girl named Debby. (Okay so I didn’t get the spelling quite right in my dream, but I was close!) I have been in love with her for over 20 years and count my blessings every single day. It took me a long time to find her but it was worth the wait. I am amazed that I actually ended up marrying the “girl of my dreams” but even more amazed that she loves me back. I am not saying our marriage is perfect but our love for each other is… and we show it to each other every day.

On Tuesday Debby attended a lunch at Nick’s Restaurant in downtown San Clemente. She went with a small group of friends and asked me to pick her up afterwards. I arrived a little early and decided to find a florist and buy her a rose. I am not sure why I did that because as I am leaving the florist and walking down the street with one long-stemmed rose in my hand…I am getting all kinds of funny looks from people. I know what they’re thinking, either I screwed up and need to make amends or else I am on a first date trying to make a good impression. Either way I got some funny looks and started thinking maybe the rose wasn’t such a good idea.

I was still early, so I sat down on a bench in front of the restaurant and waited. Finally Debby came out, walked right by me without noticing me, and started down the street. Here I am embarrassed about people seeing me with a rose and yet the one person I bought the rose for, couldn’t see me even though I was only two feet away. (I probably should have bought a whole bouquet of roses…then she would have noticed me!) Anyway, when I caught up to her and handed her the rose, she smiled at me in the most wonderful way, her eyes glowing, her dimples showing and I swear I fell in love with her all over again. At that moment I felt like I was back in that dream admiring the cute little girl with the dark hair standing in front of the rosebushes. I wrapped my arms around her, kissed her deeply and couldn’t care less about what anyone who saw us was thinking. If you are lucky enough to be with the woman (or man) of your dreams, let them know… and it will grow… just like a rose!

 

Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed.

Some say love, it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed.

Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need.

I say love, it is a flower, and you it’s only seed.

                                                   ~ Bette Midler, “The Rose”