Think autumn flowers and what comes
to mind? Chrysanthemums, especially the pompom mums we all wore on football
nights at school. From plain flat blooms to big puffballs and in a wide range
of colors from reds, and russets, to yellows, greens, whites, purples and
lilacs, they are also easily colored by adding dye to their water, meaning you
can have them in any color. They brighten our gardens and often remind me of
the Muppets. You can't help but smile when you see them.
They’ve been used historically as an
herbal insecticide, a wine, a sweet tea, and as fall decorations. More
recently, studies have shown mums to seriously reduce air pollution. But they
are also considered death or funeral flowers in many parts of the world. Autumn
is sort of the natural cycle of life. Just as so many annual plants have
succumbed to a frosty death, and the leaves fallen from the trees, that cycle
of death is repeated with humans.
Is it something left over from when
we first walked the Earth? Was it more practical to die before the winter cold
struck and froze the ground to the point when burial was impossible? I’ve asked
a few doctors about it. They get that deer-in-the-headlamps stare as they
ponder the question. Most have responded with an affirmative about death
striking the elderly more frequently in September, October, and November. Then
others give that standard answer that there is no such thing, and it’s an old
wives' tale.
I do know that I've lost
grandparents, parents, my husband's parents, and several other elderly members
of the family in the autumn months. I've also seen plenty of friends lose their
parents and family members in the fall months. Accidents and illness can claim
anyone at any time. But today, we seem to be forced to attach a reason for
death. Old age is not considered a cause of death. I beg to differ on that.
Of course, what is old age?
I was looking over the medical
records of my deceased husband. In his initial visit to the ER, he was
described as a frail, elderly man. What? My daughter, who was a first responder
as a paramedic for many years and later as an RN in the Emergency Department of
a large hospital, just rolled her eyes. "Mom, thirty-five and up is middle
aged."
Huh? Okay, I get it. (But I still
haven't figured out frail, as opposed to what, obese? He had a washboard
stomach!)
"Mom, that hospital clerk is
nineteen, she saw some gray hair and said 'elderly'." Okay, so age is
relative. To a young woman, my husband was an old man.
Elderly, according to our local
emergency departments, is considered age fifty and up. Yikes! At least let us
reach the age of retirement first! And the closer I get to that retirement
date, the older elderly becomes. Can we say prime? I like that. I'm in the
prime of my life.
And I understand that 150 years ago
22 was considered middle aged. Women were married in a dress and often buried
in that same dress a few years later when they died in childbirth. So times
have changed and medicine has changed. We live longer. But we still reach a
point where the body gives up and parts wear out faster than modern medicine
can keep up.
Among my family and friends, I've
seen the Grim Reaper claim quite a few people. And other than those who were
lost to mishaps or struck by cancer, etc., the vast majority I would consider
elderly deaths. These are people who have reached the end of their time on
Earth. And in almost every case, those deaths have occurred in the autumn
months.
And what flower blooms in autumn?
Chrysanthemums. So it's quite natural to use what nature has made available for
funerals to honor the dead.
This past weekend has been
difficult for the Authors of Main Street, as we've kept vigil. The Grim Reaper
came and snatched one of our beloved members who was in the prime of her life.
For many, an author is merely the
name on a book. Pepper Phillips was a pen name. In real life, she was a wife,
mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She also was a nursing home
administrator, a gardener, a top-notch cook, a spreadsheet queen, a breast
cancer survivor, and most of all a dear friend. She didn't just write about the
Boggy Bayou, she lived there. Her husband and her boys went alligator hunting.
It was like a rite of passage into manhood to do that. She had the
"camp" property and her regular house. From her pictures, you couldn't
tell one from the other. If there was space for a flower, she planted it.
Her books always warmed the heart
and often made us giggle. Her wonderful sense of humor came though in almost
everything she wrote. She was the epitome of a Main Street author and a big sis
to all of us within that group.
She's probably best known for her
book
The Devil has Dimples.
http://amzn.com/B005RQ26IQ
A reader posted the following quotes from that book on GoodReads.
“Sometimes that’s all you get out of life. Great shoes.”
“I’ve been stabbed lately with life.”
“All that mattered in life, that someone loved you even
though you had faults.”
“She laughed and said how silly we were to not accept
life for what it was, difficult.”
“An old expression–‘she looks like she was weaned on a
pickle’–came to my mind.”
“Never scorn a woman. They get violent.”
“So, there is a God protecting the innocent. Too bad, he
didn’t act sooner.”
Pepper had a sense of humor but she
also seemed to understand life, the highs, the lows, and the importance of
family and friends. Her writing reflected her good sense and made her a best
selling author on Amazon.
Her last book can be found here in
the Authors of Main Street's
Christmas on Main Street - Book 2.
http://amzn.com/B016LF0IOA It's another
heartwarming story as only Pepper Phillips could write.
The cycle of life is a natural one.
It is those of us who are left behind who grieve. It is also a beautiful time
of year. The colors of fall call to my heart. Mums are part of that wonderful
autumn palette. They almost glow in the sunshine, yet they have color that
seems to have weathered a long season. Unlike the spring's vibrant yellow of
the jonquils or the tulips' fire-engine red, mums tend to have a touch of gold
in the yellow and a bit of plum in the red. They appear to be warmer and softer
than their spring cousins. Pepper was like that, all warm and soft with a heart
of gold.
Christmas on Main Street - Book
2 Kindle Edition
by Susan R. Hughes, Carol DeVaney,
Pepper Phillips, Kristy Tate, & E. Ayers
Welcome to Main Street. It's not a
place. It's an attitude. It's not Key West or San Diego or Halifax or Richmond
or West Haven - it's any town. It can be anyplace that you can imagine. The
authors of Main Street create high-quality romances that warm your heart.
This year we are pleased to bring
you five brand-new holiday romance novellas in a boxed set.
Mistletoe & Wine
by Susan R. Hughes, USA Today bestselling author:
For Colleen Dixon, Christmas of
1986 seems sure to be miserable. Having just lost her job, her lover and her
apartment, she figures a trip across the country to spend the holidays at her
grandmother’s house might be just what she needs. Meeting Dr. Liam Clancy
during her visit brings a whole new shine to her Christmas spirit. Recently
divorced, Liam never intended to fall for a woman again so soon, especially one
who lives so far away. Can a holiday fling survive as a long-distance romance,
or will the New Year bring the promise of something more?
Christmas at Apple Lake
by Carol DeVaney, National bestselling author:
If you’re lucky in love, that
second chance will come…
Sometimes love goes wrong, and the
cost often defeats even the strongest of women. If you overcome the sorrow of
loss and have the courage and determination to believe, love will find you
again.
A Magical Christmas
by Pepper Phillips, National bestselling author:
During a weekend in Las Vegas, S.
R. Lejeune decides to skip the trouble of courtship and propose marriage to the
beautiful blonde sitting next to him.
His arguments for a quick marriage
are so clear and concise that Jazz Morgan decides to take him up on his offer –
especially after their mind-blowing kiss.
But can shared aspirations and a
mutual attraction be enough to build a marriage? Maybe not, when S. R. comes to
believe the worst of his new bride.
Can Jazz capture the heart of the
man she loves? Or should she?
Sometimes it takes more than time
for a marriage of convenience to grow into a forever love.
The Little White Christmas
Lie by Kristy Tate, National bestselling author:
Carson Trent doesn't know that the
beautiful Millie Cruise who literally falls into his lap is really Camille
Harper, bestselling romance writer.
Millie doesn't know that she is
headed for Carson's grandmother's inn in a quaint New England town.
Neither Carson nor Millie know that
their lives are about to spin out of control thanks to a patch of black ice, a
cow, and a little white Christmas lie.
Christmas at Mariner’s Cove
by E. Ayers, National bestselling author:
It was just a little fib. Celine
Colburn wasn't expecting Prince Charming because that was the stuff of fairy
tales. But when she met Frank Cresson, she found herself instantly drawn to
him. Just as they were getting to know each other, she becomes a witness to a
horrendous motorcycle accident that left him unconscious. Except, a lie has a
way of growing.
