Float It: A Lesson in Finding Beauty in the Scraps
Every journey has a beginning, and mine started in a small-town flower shop, right here in Beardstown, IL. As a child, I'd tag along with my grandma, Kathleen Quigley, to Millard's Florist, where l'd "work" beside her and Phyllis Dour. My job? Picking up the scraps that fell to the floor. Sometimes, a rose with a weak stem or one that broke during packaging would end up in the discard pile, but its bloom was far too beautiful to waste. So, we'd float it. We'd place it in water, surrounded by a few short stems or other pieces that had been tossed aside, and create our own little arrangement. It's full circle now, as I find myself making "real" arrangements in my own shop. Though I don't always stop to pick up the scraps at the end of the day, when I do, I'm reminded that life is a gift. Even in the hardest moments, when everything feels broken or walked on, there's still beauty to be found-just like those blooms on the shop floor. Taking a moment to float those discarded flowers reminds me that we all have a purpose, even when we feel overlooked or broken. Life has its challenges, but it's also filled with blessings, big and small. And just like those flowers, we too are beautiful, and we're here for a reason.#FloristLife #FlowerShopStories #LifeLessons #FindTheBeauty #Floatlt #BeardstownlL #FlowerInspiration #FloristJourney #PurposeAndPassion #BloomWhereYouArePlanted #SmallTownRoots