When Our World Collapses
Sometimes life comes to a screeching halt when you least expect it. Like on Thursday, April 27 when my son Stevie called me and asked if I could hear him clearly less than a month ago. And he told me Flower, his girlfriend, the love of his life, is about to pass away in the hospital. He didn’t cry when he told me. At first, I didn’t believe what I heard. And then everything hit hard and fast. No, this can’t be true. Not Flower, not my son’s wonderful girlfriend, his “soulmate.” Why??
At first, I thought I misheard. What??? Flower is 31 years old, ten years younger than Stevie. They’ve been together for around five years now. She’s colorful and not afraid to strut her authentic self. I admire and respect her for that. She’ll wear pink platforms and a pink wig just because or carry a purse in the shape of a unicorn. We all love Flower, including my grandkids who have met her a few times when their Uncle Stevie came down to visit. In fact, my grandkids stayed with Flower and their mom because they had the space to accommodate everybody a couple of years ago. She also became friends with Stevie’s ex-girlfriend Liezl. They’re both artists and have lots in common. I loved that everyone gets along so well.
No one is 100% safe no matter what.
We want to protect all those we love, especially our children and also those we love.
Pain shot through my head and my heart like lightning. And it has not left me since I heard the news. I feel as if I am a walking Zombie just going through the motions. Flower is a beautiful person, and we all love her. We cannot believe this happened. My boyfriend was also upset because he loves Flower too. Her real name is Kelsey, but only her mom calls her that. Everyone else calls her Flower. We have all been praying for a miracle.
I decided I needed to go to the woods and hang out among the trees — the Douglas Firs and Cedars, and the maples just beginning to bloom again. I leaned against my favorite tree and looked up a steep hill at all the trees leaning towards me, and said, “Please give Flower and all of us strength.” I stumbled along on the trail. A robin and a white butterfly followed me and I found two beautiful Calypso orchids near my favorite tree…
