The meaning of Chloe's name in Greek means "blooming", so a couple of days
before she flew to Heaven, I had written the following story that compares
my beautiful Chloe to a precious little flower.
My Precious Little Flower Bud
by Lisa Fedorak (Chloe's mommy)
Have you ever seen the precious petals of a flower bud peeping
through a cool glistening blanket of frost on a perfectly sunny day?
I have. It was February 5th, 2001. And it was the most
beautiful sight I have ever seen.
There it was. Delightful, darling, and determined to grow
in a place not meant for such life and such beauty.
And that is what made this precious little flower bud all the more miraculous.
It was as if it had been perfectly placed just for me.
I stood there in the peaceful tranquility surrounding me and I took in the
overwhelming beauty of this precious little bud until it consumed every part of my being.
And just to be sure, I looked around to make sure it was meant for me.
Was this dear little treasure really for me?
This perfect little flower bud.
Each petal more beautiful and colorful than the next. And her delicate little face
with the dancing eyes and the darling pouty lip.
I just had to go to it. To gently touch it, to trace my finger over each beautiful contour.
I could feel its life, its warmth, and its LOVE, like nothing I had ever felt before.
Is it really mine? Have I really been blessed to nurture and love this most perfect flower?
What will happen if I pick it up? Will it break? Will it hurt? Will it wilt? Will it die?
I have to pick it up.
It was meant for me. I can feel it so strongly. I want it to know and feel how very much
I love it.
So I do. I pick up this dear sweet little flower bud.
Silence.
A feeling so strong consumes me.
I have never felt like this before.
I am truly whole.
This is what I have been waiting to feel, to hold, to LOVE.
There are no words.
I AM IN LOVE.
So I carefully pick the precious little bud from its roots and I bring it in close to my heart.
I am so excited to share all my love with this precious little bud.
After arriving home, I gently place my precious bud in the loveliest vase I can find.
Finally I have a use for my many vases :)
I fill the vase with water, not too cool and not too warm.
Every day spent with my precious bud is a gift from God and she flourished in the
sunshine of my love. Every morning I eagerly looked over to see her darling little
face, as her petals gently opened to peek out and share with me her loveliest smile.
Each glorious day I gave my precious bud water to nourish her life and I softly cleansed
her petals with the warmest and softest of cloths. And wherever the sunshine and rainbows
were then that is where my precious little bud would be lovingly placed.
As the days passed, my precious little bud kept flourishing and blooming.
Moment by moment, another precious petal of my perfect little flower
gently curled out to face the sunshine of my love.
And in the glow of twilight, the petals of my beautiful flower would
gently fold in anticipation of tomorrow's moment to bloom.
And ohhhhh did my little flower ever bloom. She bloomed into the most beautiful flower you or I
have ever seen. Everyone who came to glance or touch the darling little face of my perfect flower
were overcome by her beauty. There was so much love surrounding my beautiful little flower.
So she bloomed and bloomed and bloomed.....
Then one morning I went to greet my little flower, however, with great sadness in my heart,
I saw that my little flower was wilting over the side of the vase.
So I gently held her, I loved her more and more, with everything I had within my heart.
I gave her more sparkling water, I found her extra special flower food, I dusted her petals
with a much softer cloth, I kissed her lovely face a thousand times more, and I gently placed
her wherever I could find a ray of warm sunshine or a colorful rainbow to light up her face.
But alas, each morning my beautiful flower became a little more wilted,
a little more faded, a little more sad.
What is it my lovely flower?
What do you need my love?
What is it I am not able to give you?
If I can, I will give you anything to bring you back to life, to see that sparkle shine
with brilliance once again. To see your petals dance, to see your lovely smile :)
Please don't misunderstand me my lovely flower. You are as beautiful, even more so,
than the first day I laid my eyes upon your perfect little face.
But my darling flower, you seem a little sad, a little hurt.
But oh my goodness, your sweet gentle spirit has never been stronger than it is today.
It seems that your physical stem and petals are too weak to carry such beauty and such life.
Try as I might I couldn't strengthen your stem.
Please know that I tried my love, with everything I have and everything I am.
I tried.
Maybe God has need of you, my perfect little flower, so full of love and sweetness.
So as the cool glistening blanket of frost arrives once again, I will gently place you
back where I found you, as it is time for your beauty and love to be shared with the
lovely flowers who flourish and grow in Heaven.
Take root my little LOVE and BLOOM...BLOOM...BLOOM...
Share with them all of the beauty that I have already been blessed to behold.
I love you my precious little flower.
New joy and new life will spring from the soil watered with my tears
and warmed by the sunshine of your smiles that you send to us from
your Heavenly Garden.
One day, I hope and pray to be blessed once again see you,
my precious little flower bud, peeping through the frost.
For then I will be truly whole again.
I love you Chloe, my most beautiful and perfect little flower.
Bloom forever in the glory of God's Heavenly Garden.
(Click on the Rosebud to Return Home) "A little flower lent not given
to bud on Earth but bloom in Heaven."