The Fragrance Remains

Valentine's Day is also about Friendship.

On Sunday, I came home from church and found

these in a box on my front porch rocker.

Ruth, a dear friend of mine,
heard about my little tree that stays up through February.

how

I put all my "love" ornaments on it.

hearts ~ doves ~ teacups ~ roses

She heard how

when Timber came to visit last month...

he pulled on an ornament and the whole tree tipped over

it sounded like a shelf at Tiffany's breaking into a million pieces.

Ruth heard how

Rachael and I spent the afternoon gluing and taping what we could

and how

most of it was "saved"

except for the beautiful hand-painted rosebud ornament on the bottom.

I've known Ruth for decades.
She and her husband, Joe, are amazing artists.

She surprised me with an ornament that she painted with roses...

a sweet heart pillow and a clear heart to hold the broken pieces of the original.

On the new heart ornament I will write the name of 

nine year old Christina Taylor Green of Tucson, AZ.

The original rose ornament was broken just before the shooting there.

My husband, Chris, wrote about it {here}

Thank you so much Ruth ~ you are so sweet and thoughtful.

♥

“The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose.”