This Friday I went to help my mom with The Weekend That Will Go Down in History. She had four weddings plus the largest wedding of her career. By a long shot. And I won’t say it all went swimmingly (you can’t control the weather), but darn near it, thanks to the help of many special people.
This weekend I saw a dedicated and patient staff giving literally everything they could to HHCF and it made me wonder, could I ever, just by being me, generate such hard work from other people? Could I lead a group to success?
I saw six Chapel Designers (business owners and floral designers of their own sort) gladly work for a boss that was not themselves. And that’s hard to make entrepreneurs do. I thought, could I ever make my peers trust me and my vision this much? Enough that they will willingly work with me by my rules, my terms, with my methods without question and with as much trust??
I watched my dad bend over backwards to help my mom. I listened to my dad say “I love you” to my mom over the phone as he prepped for a 1 A.M. event breakdown at the Eastern Shore and I wondered, could I ever get my partner to believe in me so much that they would join my business and work so hard for my dream?
I saw my brother and sister come out and help and clean and watch kids and deliver flowers and breakdown events and I thought about myself, sacrificing my weekend and traveling hours from school to help my mom and I wondered, do I have a passion so great that I could get my kids to do the same for me? That I could get my kids to understand why I work on weekends or why I need their help, and then get them to do it?
And then I got it. This weekend I saw my mom cry, no, bawl, in public. And it wasn’t over stress or frustration. It was over the beauty of her creation. Her pride and her passion came in the form of tears. And then I saw her cry when she saw the bride, not because she was feeling overwhelmed by success, but overwhelmed by a genuine love for the girl. In fact, my mom cried because the bride deserved to be happy and my mom was happy to see that the bride was having the best day of her life. She was getting married. And then I saw my mom cry when the bride saw her elaborate, extravagant, over-the-top stunning reception and it was because she could see the bride loved it and she was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this special girl’s special day.
And now I know why, why I will do my best to help my mom and why countless others will do the same. There is not a more genuine, passionate, loving person out there. And she puts all of these emotions into every project and arrangement. She is amazing. Her ability to inspire and lead made me proud. Her ability to generate such art made me overwhelmed. Her trust and gratitude in and for all others, and me, made me grateful and made me deliver. Her goodness is what creates such devotion and such beauty.
So congratulations, Mom, on a job done great.