The Flower That Blooms In Adversity

A little over five years ago was one of the worst days of my life.  My grandfather (my Mom's dad) became ill and was admitted into the hospital and before we knew it, we had lost Papa.  I was completely devastated.  A few weeks prior, we'd all been having the time of our lives at Walt Disney World, and then, just like that, he was gone.

My heart shattered into a million pieces.  After a week of attempting to pull myself back together, I wrote him a letter on his birthday.  Writing on here and putting my pain into words gave me a little bit of closure and helped me heal.  But the wound cut deep and it ended up taking me months to get my groove back.

At the time I didn't realize it, but I was fighting with a lot of my feelings.  I thought I was fine, but a few months later I could see how much I had been struggling.  3D printing mouse ears was actually one of the things that helped bring me out of my funk.  Eliot and I spent a lot of time creating samples and testing designs in spring of 2015, before officially announcing them in July of 2015.  After months of scrambling, I was back.

Now, it's five years later.  So much has happened since we lost Papa.  It's so weird to think about how much has changed in five years.  A few of my cousins have had kids and another one of them got married.  Jeremy has a new job and just bought his first condo.  Eliot and I bought a house.  I left my job to become self-employed full time since Eliot and I created a successful handmade business in Happily Ever Hatter.

A week ago, on March 4th, it was Papa's birthday and the first day of the 2020 Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World.  The timing of both together on the same day was not lost on me.  In Maine, we're still waiting for spring to arrive, but the snow is melting and the weather has been warmer.  Still, I long for spring and I love seeing all of the pictures from the festival in my social media newsfeeds.  It makes me feel so happy with all of the bright colored flowers and magical topiaries.  The Flower and Garden Festival always fills me with so much hope for spring and new beginnings.

And as I sit here, I can't help but feel like Papa's watching over me.  I know that he'd be so proud of everything that I've accomplished these past five years.  I wish with all of my heart that he was here with us to see it all in person, but I'm comforted by the thought that he's somewhere taking it all in and beaming with pride.

A little over five years ago was one of the worst days of my life.  But now as I reflect upon the last five years and look towards the future, I feel like a flower that's finally bloomed again, despite the cold, harsh and snowy winter.

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."  -Mulan  °o°