Story of "The Roses"

It all started with a profound vision; maybe a dream or thought. Hubby, then my beau (1997), saw a picture in his head of two roses – one red, the other white. They were interlaced together. What was amazing about this vision was that it appeared the world around them was in complete destruction. Picture a city after the atomic bomb exploded. This was the scene. Nevertheless, the two roses were still intact - just floating in the wind. They withstood the destruction that surrounded them. Hubby explained the roses were us. He represented the red rose and I represented the white rose. As long as we held on together, we would survive. Years later, Hubby realized that the roses symbolized hope and strength; strength, the red rose, hope, the white rose. Once again, hope needs strength to survive in a harsh world.The symbol of the roses was our inception. As I learned over time, it set the Core of a whole philosophy, testament, and spiritual theme in our life together.

The Roses Changed in Time...

One day, post 2011, we were talking about the Roses. Hubby realized that The Roses carried with it an "Us Against the World" mentality. But, this was not necessary anymore. There were more people in our lives that were trustworthy, close, and dependable. We could open our circle and embrace our world with a more open, loving heart.

We opened our relationship in 2011. Since, Hubby and I learned a lot about each other and a grander community of friends, intimate partners, and mentors. We began to realize just how interconnected we all really are! It was quite an awakening. It shifted our world and our overall collective perspective.

Then, a new Rose entered our lives in 2014. She respected our story of the white and red rose. So, one day she claimed herself "Pink Rose." On my last birthday, she presented me with a bouquet of red, white and pink roses. She added color to our lives (and I cannot help but recognize that "pink" is the combination or red and white).

At first, I struggled with adding a new Rose to our story. I was afraid our story would change too much. Would the core and integrity of "The Roses" remain? Could we survive all these life transitions and growth. What if everything we had built just fell apart because of all of the changes? I regret that I let the fear get the better of me. Then, I woke up. I realized that I had become a prisoner to fear. I did not want to live my life like this anymore. I did not want to takes "my roses" down with me.

At the moment I faced my fear, I experienced such a Divine, amazing love - it is quite hard to explain. The love was pure and genuine. It came from openness, trust, and vulnerability. It was the closest thing to seeing the face of God. Ultimately, I was overcome was tremendous gratitude for the relationship I have (and, I knew I was a participant in choosing it).

The Roses have survived every change, life cycle, and life phase. Now, we are building our Rose Garden! Our pink rose is an integral part of our "garden sanctuary." Roses, like people need the space, love, and nurturing to grow. We are working on finding just that right amount of sun, water, and fertile soil.

To think it all started with an amazing vision of the resilient Roses...!