Originally posted on September 2, 2011
If you were wondering who I am, Im a recently divorced Mother of one 
12-year old daughter. I have a rich, complex, deeply satisfying life. I believe in the power of positivism, laughter, and friendships. My purpose throughout this blog is to bring beauty back into your life with pictures of flowers and gardens, with poetry, and with truth-telling (or, sometimes myth-telling). I want to infuse the American people with hope and a strong sense that everything will be okay!
My actions are in line with my values. For example, I place health and happiness above all else. When there is a question of what to do, I will choose the happy route because if I am happy, I am more effective, present, and able to serve others.
Many people confuse the pursuit of happiness with selfishness. To know the difference, answer this question: if I choose this course, will it ultimately contribute to the greater good? If the answer is yes, then you are choosing a course of happiness.
I am extremely fiscally responsible. I live within my means, and I have absolutely no financial debt.
When I make a promise, I am very good at keeping it. The only time I mess up is when I forget that Ive made a promise, but if reminded, I will follow through if its not too late. I am a woman of my word.
I have never done illegal recreational drugs. I believe that taking drugs or alcohol quite often affects health, and more devastatingly, negatively affects relationships. I do not feel that occasional drug use is all that bad, but the difficult question to answer is: how much is enough? Many drug users go over that line.
I not only believe in God (or whatever you want to call the creative energy), I experience Him (or that energy) on a daily basis. Im not religious, just spiritual and loving.
I am extremely compassionate toward people who make messes of their lives, even when it is a result of stupidity. That is probably because I value humor too much to expect perfection from people. Life would be boring if people didnt make stupid mistakes.
Before I claimed my first profession, when I was a little girl, I was a writer and a gardener. Now that Im older, I am mostly just a writer and a gardener. These are the things that are closest to my heart, and where I find my greatest joy in expression.
Each time I blog, I post a photo from one of the many gardens I have visited. When you see a rose, I hope you remember that life is beautiful and that it is worth celebrating. Each flower is unique, they all have specific names, though I dont always label them.
I leave you with one important tidbit: the definition of the word urpflanze. It stands for the essence of a flower that resides somewhere inside, but also represents that beauty that comes from its totality. It is the quality of the flower that you cannot pin down to one particular petal, one word of description, one blush of color. Yet, taking all these things together, they make up the essence that no other flower inhabits.
When you look into the urpflanze of a rose, it will relax you. That is one reason why flowers are so powerfully intoxicating.
Each one of us has this urpflanze in the same way each rose is unique. Teach this to your children, and recognize this quality in their smiling faces.