The scent of roses at a fresh market or at the table of a nice restaurant sends me back to Valentine’s Day in third grade when I received my first bouquet of roses. Psychologists believe that specific words can evoke certain emotions in the reader. A simple word like “smile” can make one think of a sunny day in the park. I believe flowers can do the same. Red roses remind me of my first hand delivered bouquet of flowers.

Always Daddy’s Little Girl

The bouquet was given to me by the most important man in my life, my father. Dad was a pilot for Children’s Hospital when I was younger. His usual mornings started at 5:30am, when I was long asleep in my bed in the next room. On this particular morning I heard the blow dryer, part of my mom’s usual morning beauty routine, and the coffee maker’s sizzling drops. To my disappointment, I did not hear Dad come in and say goodbye.

Mom woke me up with her usual perky singing of the “Green Acres Theme Song.” I asked for my usual five more minutes, but that day Mom quickly flicked on the overhead light. She jumped out of the doorway to reveal my Daddy holding a bouquet of twelve beautiful roses. I can still feel my cheeks cramping from the delighted smile.

“I will always be your Valentine…”

He knelt beside my bed and whispered in my ear, “I will always be your Valentine. No matter who walks into or out of your life; remember that.” After eleven years, Dad still sends me a bouquet of a dozen roses each year. The sight of a bouquet takes me back to that morning.

This Father’s Day, I’m sending Dad flowers.

It’s your turn to start a new tradition in your family. Deliver your next memory with the help of your local florist.