By Reba Phelps
When the rickety screen door of the flower shop’s rear entrance slammed shut behind me, it jarred my entire body. But also comforted me at the same time as it sounded like the old screen door at my grandmother’s house.
As I made my way to my vehicle with flowers in hand, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit of sadness as it would be the last set of homecoming flowers that I would ever buy for one of my daughters. The nostalgia quickly went away when I realized that my pocketbook would be a little thicker every homecoming season for the foreseeable future.
With it being her last homecoming dance, I truly wanted her to have the bouquet of her dreams. She found a beautiful inspiration photo on Instagram then took it to the local flower shop for them to make her petal dreams come true.
When I handed her the flowers for her inspection and approval, I noticed a large pillowy pink flower peaking out from the center. It took all of half of a millisecond to realize that it was a pink peony. I was so confused. Maybe this explained why it was so expensive. How in the world did our flower shop obtain these rare treasures in September? In the South? The curiosity had overtaken my good sense, so I made my way back through the rickety screen door that slammed shut and jarred my body.
Looking back, I probably re-entered the shop quicker and louder than expected because everyone turned around at once when I asked, “who made this bouquet?”Maybe my breathless words came across aggressively, but I simply couldn’t contain my excitement. Everyone pointed to the same person as being the builder of the beautiful bundle of flowers. He didn’t look amused at all as he said, “Is there a problem?”
I took it down a notch as I remembered it was homecoming weekend and there is no telling how many bouquets and boutonnieres were being concocted. At this point, I sheepishly asked, “is this a peony in this bouquet” to which everyone in the entire shop began to smile, possibly a smile of relief.
He walked closer to me and began to tell me that they were special ordered for a woman who had recently passed away. The moment he said it, I knew exactly who he was talking about. I shared with him that I was so blown away by the beauty of the bouquet, I could hardly believe that my eyes were seeing peonies in the fall, in the south. He then asked me if I wanted to see the arrangement that was being made in her honor.
He politely ushered me to a smaller work room in the back. The delicately sweet, aromatic fragrance traveled its way to greet us. It was the most stunning arrangement of peonies and greenery. The casual onlooker could tell that it was not yet complete, but nearing its way to readiness for the memorial service. As I stood there in silence, and in awe, I could only think of how fitting this lovely arrangement was for the beautiful woman who had passed away. Breaking the silence, the man at the flower shop went on to say how rare the peonies are in the south. They can grow wildly in places further north, but not where we live.
He was right. Rare and beautiful flowers for a rare and beautiful woman who spent her entire life making things beautiful for other people.
According to Ode a La Rose the pink peony symbolizes graceful elegance, femininity, joy and confidence. Their layers upon layers of soft petals always make them the centerpiece for anything special.
Peonies are befittingly just like Mrs. Lola Dunahoe.
I first met her when we back moved to Natchitoches in 2007. She and Mr. Dunahoe were volunteers in the nursery at First Baptist Church and Kathryn simply loved them. She was less than one year old and loved to cuddle and nap while in the nursery. Every nursery volunteers dream! Every time we dropped her off in the nursery while they were there, she would greet them with a huge smile. When we picked her up, we were met with stories of her cuteness while she napped. Mrs. Dunahoe made the nursery a beautiful experience with her warmth, graciousness and love for little ones.
Volunteering was not just a Sunday morning task for Mrs. Dunahoe, she lived her life as a testimony to giving back, lending a hand, leading a cause and organizing historic events in Natchitoches and statewide. Everything she touched, everything she held dear to her heart, everyone that crossed her path…she simply made it more beautiful.
The spring following her passing was the first St. Denis Art League Spring Festival that Mrs. Dunahoe was not present. It was also the year Kathryn was being introduced on the court. While the evening was visually stunning, as always, there was one thing still missing. The rare, beautiful, pink peony was not there. Her work on earth was complete. But she certainly left a legacy to be treasured for generations to come. A true Proverbs 31 woman.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
