There are Always Flowers

This Friday marks a turning point in my life: my boss is retiring. Now, I don't know that she would want her name or photo posted on a blog, so I'm not including them.  She has a really unique name, so it wouldn't be fair. Still, I want to pay a short tribute to her, even though she'll probably never see it. It doesn't matter; she doesn't seek praise. She does what she does to be true to herself.

Some people might be glad to see a boss retire, but not me - not this one. I dearly love my boss. She's been my mentor, my inspiration, my source of knowledge, and in many ways my friend for the 2 1/2 years I've had my job. I know that a new leader is coming in, and I have the greatest respect for what she'll bring. I'm not worried about leadership; I'm simply sad to say farewell to my dear friend.

You may wonder what makes her so memorable for me. So, this is what I can say. "L" is always even-tempered; I have rarely seen her flustered. She always has a kind word to say, and for her the glass is always half-full. Most of the time, it's all-full. She meets frustration on my part with a simple phrase, "Calm down." Then when my spirit is quiet, we tackle challenges together. (I find this somewhat funny, as I always thought I was calm!)

"L" has been preparing me for her retirement for the length of my service in my job. She was fulfilling her own commitment before retiring and has stayed on long after most would have departed.  She has maintained her integrity and done her work faithfully for a long time. She is beloved by many - and sought out for her counsel constantly. Her shoes will be hard to fill.

Because of who "L" is, I made a special easel card for her staff to sign. It carries a quote from Henri Matisse: "There are always flowers for those who want to see them."  She liked that sentiment! And the flowers I get to see today are that we have promised to see each other and have lunch from time to time. While I'll miss her day-to-day, it isn't goodbye forever!  Praise God!

 

The flowers are dogwoods from Hero Arts. This is a single stamped image. The card is an easel card made from several different card stocks, including Bazzill and Neenah Classic Crest. The dogwoods are colored with Copic markers in pink and green. Coloring was super simple, as the shading for the flowers and leaves is already stamped from the image; there's no guesswork about where to shade.

 

The design for the easel part of the card came from a Split Coast Stampers tutorial by Beate Johns. I made my card a standard 5.5 inches wide, rather than the 4 1/4" she used. All other measurements were the same. This easel was super simple!

 

Thanks for reading my tribute to "L" and please join me again for a really fun card!