A lasting gift

I am so thankful that I can take these

and create these. Which are the altar flowers I made for church last Sunday. About 12 years ago when I joined the Episcopal church, I met a wonderful woman named Nancy Brown. Nancy had moved to Arizona from Connecticut where she had been involved in garden clubs and had many sorts of gardening and flower arranging titles. She asked our then priest if she could arrange the altar flowers on occasion. Her arrangements were always very impressive and far and away more spectacular than those from the florist. She began doing it more frequently. The head of our Altar Guild asked if she would have a little class and teach us a few basics so perhaps others of us could "do" the flowers. This turned into a full blown Flower Guild. As Nancy's pledge to the church twice a week she would bring 3 or 4 floral buckets of gorgeous flowers and under her tutelage we would each make an arrangement which was ours to take home. One member would make the altar flowers each Friday. On occasion Nancy would have the meetings at her beautiful home and sometimes a little party or lunch. We became a support group for each other in addition. Nancy was a very special and spiritual person. After about 5 years she moved to Tucson and alas died a couple of years ago of a recurrence of cancer. Nancy gave us an incredible gift which we can continue to share with others. In Nancy's memory I try to have fresh flowers in my home as often as possible. Her spirit will always live on in my heart.