Yellow Zinnias

   I am so busy these days with teaching and all those "other duties as assigned," sitting on the board of directors for our nonprofit, raising money for our scholarship program,  an active member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy,  as well as, being a wife, mother, grandmother and daughter.  Whew! That made me tired just listing those things.  I wish I had time to be a better friend.  I have a dear friend and neighbor that is going through some health issues and has had to make some major life changes.  She is so good to me.  She has a sixth sense for when I am "down" and brings me little gifts - as another friend put it, "gifts from the heart." 

   Recently she called me and said that she had "a bushel and a peck" of peaches for me.  She knows how important that phrase is to me.  That is how my son, Ryan, would "sign off" our conversations.  Whether it was a letter, e-mail, phone call, or face to face parting, he would say, "I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck."  But...back to the peaches.  When I got to her home there was a bushel box and peck sized basket of peaches.  It was a week that had been "hotter than blazes" but she had gone to her family's orchard and picked those peaches for me.  I gladly brought them home, made several jars of preserves and froze the rest.  Most mornings I make a smoothie for breakfast and when I make them from those peaches it always brings a smile to my face.  It's human nature to want to know that someone, not related by blood, cares about us.

   One evening this week my phone rang and it was Karen.  She said, "Have you already passed my house?"  I told her that I was already home and making dinner.  She said that she had something for me and would be over in just a few minutes.  When she and her daughter, Hannah, arrived at my home they had brought me a potted zinnia, two cut yellow zinnia blossoms, and a book by  former UALR professor,  Al Allen.  The book is titled "Zinnias Grow on Either Side of the River." 

   I have always loved zinnias; their bright colors and cheerful presence are spirit lifting. My Granny Ott planted them each year and I, myself, have planted them.  But, admittedly, I hadn't really given them much thought.  I asked Karen how she pronounced their name and she said, "Zee nuhs."  I told her that I had heard it pronounced as "Zen eee uhs" and the "hill folk" pronunciation (which I speak fluently)  "zee knees."  I was touched by her gifts and since I'm of such a curious nature (one of my high school teachers instilled in me to always look for the deeper meaning), I decided to research zinnias.  I found that each color of zinnia has a meaning and that yellow zinnias means daily remembrance.  I wonder if Karen knows this or does she just like yellow?  I don't believe in coincidence but I do believe that we are motivated to do things for others by a much higher power.    

   I couldn't wait to read the book.  It turned out to be a collection of true short stories from Al Allen's life.  He was born in Steele, MO later moved to Memphis but spent his summers in Steele.  His father was a car dealer in Steele and his other family members raised cotton. Again, I don't believe in coincidence, only the actions of a power greater than us, but my husband's sister lives in Steel, MO and she and her husband own the local car dealership, as well as, a large cotton farm.  Another connection - I earned my Bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas School for Medical Science at Little Rock but I took classes and earned my teaching certificate from UALR, where Al Allen was a professor. 

   I pondered all these connections as I was reading the book.  And then I found it - on page 154.  Al is telling the story about how he had asked his Aunt Myrna why everyone planted zinnias around their houses. This is her reply," Well, you can count on zinnias to always grow well, even when the weather is bad and dry, 'cause they are a very hardy flower.   Zinnias ask for so little and give you all the brilliant colors. They're like good dependable friends;  when things go bad and crops burn up and people are sick of summer heat, zinnias are always there to cheer you up."   There it was! They are like good dependable friends - always there to cheer you up.  That's my relationship with Karen.

   I hope all of you have a "zinnia" friend in your life.  We all need them and I'm so blessed and grateful to have one.