Deadlines, Dandelions and Stories

http://www.rofotos.com/nature/flower/000008grape-hyacinths-muscari/

My deadline is staring me in the face. My book in progress needs to be off to the editor before Monday.  I suppose if publishing houses didn't set deadlines for writers, we might play with our stories and words forever and never get them out there for readers. So deadlines are good. 

Even before I had deadlines from editors, I set deadlines for myself. Except I didn't call them deadlines. I called them goals. The good news about the current deadline is I finally found those very necessary words, "the end." The bad news is they hid from me for so long I don't have as much time for editing as I'd like. But I'm scrubbing and polishing my story as fast at I can. 

The truth is, life intrudes on the best laid plans at times. But sometimes when that happens you get a surprise bouquet!

 So I've taken a break from trying to whip my book into shape before Monday to share a few more flower stories. I've loved reading your surprise bouquet stories. So many wonderful ones that I couldn't share them all. Many of you have left great comments on here with fun stories too. Thank you all so much. You make my contests so much fun. 

By far the most mentioned bouquets were those clutched in children's hands. Dandelions from the yard. Roses from a neighbor's yard. Broken heads of flowers picked without stems. But with love in every bouquet like this story from Lois.

"When my daughter was about 4 years old (now she is 40) she gave me a bunch of dandelions in a fruit jar for Mothers' Day and she was sooo very proud. They were the best flowers I have ever received." 

Pure love from a child to her mother. Love was in this bouquet Beth received from her daughter too.

"My 17 year old daughter surprised me this spring by picking a tiny bouquet of grape hyacinths and putting them in a small blue vase. Just for no reason." 

When I contacted Beth for permission to share the word image of her surprise bouquet, she added this about her daughter, Becca. "Just a proud Mama note I would like to share, Becca graduated this past Friday. She received 7 awards for her academics. The English, Latin, Science awards as well as valedictorian. What makes this remarkable - Becca is dyslexic and couldn’t read until 4^th grade. This is what God can do with hard work and desire. Now you can’t get her to put books down." 

Don't you love proud Mamas and happy stories? 

The last story tonight (maybe a couple more flower stories Sunday) we hear from the other side of the bouquets. Mary Ann says, "I remember picking bouquets of purple and white violets and of daffodils for my family when I was little. That always felt incredibly special to me." Then she added, "Oh wait! Think on, my wonderful eight-year-old son occasionally brings me the decapitated heads of daffodils and grape hyacinths and roses from our garden now, as Lovely Bouquets. :D"

Flowers do have a way of making us happy!

The deadline for my book is not the only one approaching. A deadline is coming for my Small Town Girl Celebration Giveaway too. Only three more days to enter. Deadline for entries is midnight EST Saturday. So if you haven't thrown your name in the hat for the roses and books or entered the "never win" contest for the wind chimes, you'd better do it quick. Send me an e-mail or leave a comment here with a way to contact you should you be the winner. Oh, and if you are one of those "never win" people, be sure to tell me that too.

Thanks for reading. Now back to work polishing and trimming and... Monday's coming!