a couple days before we left town for a trip this summer, some family friends stopped by with the sweetest posy of fresh cut pretties from their garden, the vibrant pinks, reds, yellows + white boldly proclaiming the season’s peak. as the girls + i sat there on the joggling board in our jammies for a small time admiring the punchy wildflowers, i was reminded of the many times beautiful blooms have found their way onto our porch + it feels like a very special kind of “magic”.
there’s something wonderful to be savored the moment you realize you have special people in your life who manage to know just what, when + how to deliver the biggest smiles to your door. whether coming from loved ones, neighbors, family or a client, every bloom has delivered the sparkling feeling that only flowers can. each gesture has lit up my life, in a way that endures, reminding us always to share what we have growing, be it wildflowers or maybe just a bit of love.
over the past 12 months our porch has been filled with this wonderful kind of love.
in the springtime of 2020, the same friends who brought us fresh-cut summer blooms dropped off this adorable citrus tree which this year, looks like it may give us her first lemon.
when my grandmother passed in april, a thoughtful neighbor sent flowers that were so beautiful + unexpected, i found they genuinely helped me grieve + in turn, i found i could deeply reflect + celebrate her life while admiring those fragrant roses. my lemon tree friend, also brought over a literal bag of sunshine with every yellow thing imaginable. these tokens of their caring represented such compassion + made an impression on me about the lasting importance of community.
in june, the same friend who gave us meyer-!!!- dropped off some poppy seeds she was given after a trip to the botanical garden + in the same weekend, my dear neighbor who had sent flowers in april, surprised me with some of the fresh-cut blue hydrangea from her yard which, year after year i’m in awe of—just to share!
friends are the flowers in life’s garden
in august, while staying for a spell on another’s porch in the mountains, we had the happy chance of admiring a patch of breathtaking dahlias up close, both in the field + in a vase while sitting on the back porch. their fiery petals radiating from their seemingly endless centers while reaching out for the summer sun are not something i will soon forget. what a treat to be so surprised by these, my favorite of all flowers!!
in september, a few years-long daydream to visit to another neighbor’s dahlia patch a few doors up the street came to fruition + after a cordial visit, i found myself walking back down the street having made a new friend + staring at nothing else but my very own bunch of these breathtaking stunners he sent home with me!
+ in october, after i wrapped up the design of a website for a family friend + colleague, she sent a beautiful fall arrangement as a thank you which was a lovely, colorful + festive surprise!
2021
just this may, our doorbell rang + we were pleasantly surprised to see our neighbor, mr. john, on our porch with a bag full of dahlia tubers for us to foster our very own patch of radiant stunners! such a surprise, such a treat + such an act of neighborly love, i am still blown away by his thoughtfulness.
just last week, some friends stopped by after school with their kids, balloons, flowers + pasteries from a favorite cafe — completely unexpectedly for my birthday. the unadulterated joy in that moment, can still be felt when i look at our joggling board + recall the way those happy children, seven in all—! climbed right up + brightened our porch + in turn our day, with their boundless smiles + energy. to say nothing of the pinch-me feeling their moms had delivered. what a gift!
we never know what our seemingly small gestures may do for another…so, may we all remember this notion:
wishing for each of you dear readers, that you too may find ways to cultivate some porch magic in the spaces you live, play + grow! there’s just something about a welcoming front porch, isn’t there?! life is so much better in community with others. to see another’s face light up with a smile, is some days all i need to feel fulfilled + happy.
porches + pillowfights 