She was turning 18 on this day in 1949 as she walked down the aisle with a bouquet of yellow roses in her hands. And every year after on this day without fail, her husband gave her yellow roses to honor her and the love they shared between them.
Two months shy of their 50th anniversary, her husband passed away. She placed yellow roses on his casket.
When February 6th arrived that next year, so did a single yellow rose with a note that read, “Love Never Ends.” It touched her heart deeply and continued to do so annually for the next thirteen years as the rose arrived each February.
In February of 2012, the yellow rose found her in a hospital room where she was recovering from a stroke. That tenacious, unfailing love helped her regain her health before another stroke ushered her to heaven mid-year. Yellow roses were laid on her casket.
Ever since that time, each February 6th, the yellow rose tradition continues in my home now with two beautiful blooms displayed in remembrance of that devoted man and woman, who I called Dad and Mom. This thoughtful tradition, born out of a simple act of love, is something I will forever hold dear as I remember my parents and the truth they exemplified that genuine love never ends.