Well, that was about the sweetest thing EVER...

I'm enjoying a rare kidless day--Anna spent the night at Grandma's last night so I could go get drinks with a girlfriend last night (on a Friday night!? huh?!?)--and as I sat at my computer desk about an hour or two ago, working in Photoshop on some things for my photography business, my doorbell rang.

Great. Figures someone comes to the door when I'm still wearing my pajamas at 1:30 in the afternoon, I thought to myself, glancing down at my pastel pink flannel pajamas as I walked to the door, wrinkling my nose at the black cats and leopard-print purses scattered across the fabric. Yet since I'm almost always still pajama-clad when someone comes to my door, I'm long used to answering the door and not caring how I look.

It was an older gentleman, holding out a small box to me. "Candice Cxxxxx?"

I'm sure the perplexed look on my face must have looked a little comical. "Yes?" I answered. Even I could hear the slight question in my voice. Door-to-door salesmen, Bible thumpers, and frozen-meat hawkers at my door (or else the UPS or FedEx guy): those I'm used to. Someone not trying to sell me something, convert me, or delivering something I'd ordered? Huh?

He smiled and handed me the package. And in my hands suddenly was a small bouquet of flowers.

"Thanks?" I said, staring at confusion at the envelope on the flowers that listed my full name, address, and phone number. Milwaukie Floral, the sticker on the envelope said. "Except I have absolutely no idea who they're from," I half-laughed.

He smiled. "Happy Mother's Day!" he exclaimed, and then turned and walked away.

I laughed in earnest this time. "Thank you!" I called.

What on earth?? I wondered to myself as I carried the small box into my kitchen. I've never received surprise, delivered flowers before, in all my 33 1/2 years. Never at work, never on any holiday or birthday, never from a boyfriend or my husband…nada. (Well, except when Charley died, of course, I reminded myself a few minutes later, although it's definitely not the same thing.) Charley had brought me flowers a few times--a vase of cut flowers from the florist for my graduation party in high school; a bouquet from Costco randomly just before Christmas when we got married, unofficially for the one-year anniversary of when he proposed--and I'd received flowers a couple of times over the years from boyfriends, but they were always for some event, holiday, or reason…and never delivered.

My laughter and surprise only grew when I read the card.


And I have absolutely no clue who they could be from…and I keep laughing because they were sent anonymously. (I've never had a secret admirer either! ;o))

And I smile even more because I know how lucky I am to have a wonderfully long list of people who might have sent them…and because I probably never would have received them if I weren't a single mom (and one who bitches publicly about Mother's Day every year ;o)).

So for whoever you are, know that you've put a huge smile on my face for the last two hours and brought the best kind of tears--happy, completely surprised tears--to my eyes and heart.

Thank you thank you thank you! I am officially your biggest fan ever. =) ♥♥♥♥



And I haven't managed to get a whole lot more work done since I received them, but they sure are a pretty distraction on my desk, right where I can keep looking at them and smiling. =)


(And see--even our cat is a little perplexed by them. ;o) I don't exactly keep living plants in the house very often. =))

(And don't worry; I won't let her eat them. ;o))

And the best part? This week before Mother's Day hasn't even sucked that bad this year. There's been so much other bigger, heavier stuff going on for the last few weeks--my college friend's recent widowhood, photographing her husband's funeral two weeks ago, going to Charley's grandfather's funeral in southern Oregon last weekend--that I'd somewhat managed to forget and ignore that Mother's Day was even coming until early this week. And I mostly just shook my head and didn't feel like bothering with the whole stupid thing, didn't feel like prodding my siblings and Mom to see what big family thing we'd do for the day. Turns out we're going to do an easy family dinner tonight--real basic, with just spaghetti, French bread, and salad (translation: with my brother-in-law cooking ;o)), with whatever family members can come--at my middle sister's house, instead of anything tomorrow. My sister's husband works tomorrow and my mom didn't really care if we did anything special because the weather is supposed to be cold, rainy, and gross tomorrow, so it was just as easy to do something tonight.

And I'm frankly relieved at the change of venue, day, and custom. I don't know what Anna and I will do tomorrow, except we tentatively have plans to meet out-of-town friends for lunch…and I like the idea that Anna and I are free to do whatever we (ahem…I mean, I) want. I plan to do something fun, whatever it'll be. And I know, too, that she has something hidden in her bedroom for me that she made at school this week--and just knowing that someone (teacher and her whole class, or not) made the time for her to make something for her mother is enough for me. Well, that and knowing that her school-made gifts to me last year were enough too.

But gosh, those surprise flowers are just the icing on the cake!! =) I'm still grinning!!