4: The Unmistakable Red Rows
And the Red Rose: A Widely Recognized Symbol of Love
I ROLLED A CART FILLED WITH HANDBAGS AND WALLETS OUT TO the floor, scanning the crowd, dreading the day I had to endure seeing someone I knew. In the summer of 2015, I took a position in the Accessories Department of a clothing store because Amber wanted to stay in the Pacific Northwest, and it didn’t take long to realize that the constant, repetitive clean up made it feel a lot like working in an adult day care.
The wallet counter, however, was one of the areas I didn’t mind mothering. When it was organized the handbags seemed to straighten up a little bit themselves. I started sorting them by size and color, filling the empty slots with the best ones I could find from the back stock, when a woman walked by with a stunning baby carriage.
It’s hard to know when to talk to someone and when to just admire someone’s belongings, but the burst of red against the surrounding browns, blacks, and beiges tantalized me like a cherry on a sundae.
“The cover on your carriage is gorgeous,” I said, admiring the way bands of black patterned fabric contrasted with swirls of three-dimensional, red, satin rosettes.
“Thank you,” the woman said, as she stopped and turned toward me.
“I’d love to know where you got it. I’m not really in the market right now, but I may be in the future.”
I didn’t really know why I was asking. I knew it would be years before my oldest daughter, Jade, ever had children. But I’d never seen anything like it, and I took a moment to dream about the possibility that I might be able to get one for her when the time came. “I got it on Etsy. Google ‘baby bling’.”
“Thank you! I really appreciate it,” I said, turning back to my work.
A few hours later, as I was helping at the check-out counter, a customer set a pair of Converse shoes in front of me that were black with red, rose tongues. Since both of my daughters love Converse, I hoped I could find a link online to show them.
I worked an unusual shift that Friday. While I usually worked until 11:00 p.m., I was off at 5:00 p.m. I’d made plans to meet a friend at the Edmonds waterfront for a walk and a bite to eat, and my return trip took me on an path I don’t normally take, past the post office. As I neared it, I remembered that Jade had mailed a package to Amber that was supposed to arrive the day before, so I decided to stop and see if it was there.
I opened my P.O. Box and there was a key in it. A thrill ran through me when I noticed that the number on the key was a combination of my favorite ones. Since they show up frequently for my daughters as well, I took a picture of the door with the rose-patterned package.
When I got home, as Amber opened the box, I sent a text to Jade. “Amber loves the gifts! The things you find are amazing!”
She’d created a kit for Amber’s college send off. A tiny doll figurine had a note attached that said, “This is you!” A bold, graphic tote had a note that said, “Here’s your luggage!” And a tiny toy motorcycle kit had a note exclaiming, “Here’s your ride!”
As Amber and I were talking, I remembered the Converse. Then I remembered the roses on the baby carriage as I looked at the red roses printed on the package Jade sent.
I am not sure why I decided to share a post about all of the roses on Facebook that night. It’s usually weeks before I get around to doing anything especially when I have other work to do, and I was taking an online course through The Centre of Applied Jungian Studies. I wanted to post some information for the weekly exercise* before I had to leave for work Saturday afternoon since everyone reviewed them over the weekend.
On one of the questions, my answer included the character, Gomer, from James A. Michener’s book, The Source. It’s my favorite book. It gave me an opportunity to think about God in ways that were different from the stories I heard as I was growing up. When I read it a second time a few years ago, I related strongly to Gomer, specifically her feelings about experiences she began to recognize as God connecting with her, the questions she had as God directed her, and the doubts she harbored because of the kind of person she was. It’s also the only time I’ve heard anyone talk about God speaking directly through a woman’s voice.
I closed my file at 11:06 p.m. Then, after Amber and I talked for a little while, I got ready for bed. We have to take turns in the bathroom since we only have one, so after I was finished, I sat down again at my computer to do a final Facebook check while Amber was getting ready.
When I opened Facebook, the image in front of me was Gomer.
The video clip on my friend’s post was Jim Nabors, who I knew as Gomer Pyle as a child. Even though it was another Gomer, it’s such an unusual name, I couldn’t deny the connection. But I’d never seen this performance.
I clicked on the link and started crying. Gomer was singing “The Impossible Dream,” a song that reflects the way I feel about my journey. I’d been planning to write a blog post about the song, but I’d only managed to create a graphic with a slightly different message. (In late 2015, I used the graphic in response to a post on Medium called “How Pursuing a Quest Can Bring Purpose to Your Life.”)
I went to bed thinking about everything that had happened, and suddenly realized that the orchestra members behind Gomer were creating rows.
Unmistakable red rows.
I couldn’t believe yet another type of “rows” had shown up that day. The red rose, in many shapes and forms, had appeared again and again, with the last one reminding me that I needed to continue to listen carefully and pay close attention. I couldn’t help but feel that I’d been given a gift of dozens of one of the most widely recognized symbols of love.
* I was given permission by The Centre of Applied Jungian Studies to share part of my answers to question #4 of the second exercise since I am not revealing the exact nature of the exercise. However, I wish I could tell you more because it adds another incredible level of meaning to this event. If you are interested in finding out what it was about, they offer the course on a regular basis. I highly recommend it.
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5: Zeitgeist | Seeing Horus the day after I heard about him, then seeing Zeitgeist drive by