If not for COVID-19, I would have attended my 30th straight Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival this year. This garden show is very important to my family and my business. I recorded a video to tell the entire story, which I invite you to watch by clicking below. Be prepared: I cry a lot.

The one aspect of the story I want to highlight here is my commitment to this garden show and what I learned from that commitment. No matter how my business grew–or my family grew–I always made sure I went to the show. Even if we had weddings on the weekend of the event, I’d go and sell bunches of flowers to my local community.

My mother used to say, “You stay at the dance with the person who brought you.” And the Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival was at the foundation of my company. It brought me to the flower industry dance. As a young mother, I made the initial capital for my business by selling lilac bunches at that show.

Most of us are experiencing lean times right now. It’s a struggle to find silver linings, but I think one is that it gives all of us an opportunity to reassess who and what is truly important to us. And maybe who and what isn’t.

I’d encourage all of you to remember who brought you to the dance. And keep on dancing with them. The people who supported you in the past when you needed it most probably are ready to support you again. Or could use your support, in turn. Be loving and kind and, if at all possible, give back to those who have given to you in the past.