More Than Just Tulips

This week stretched me in a way I wasn’t expecting.

One of the ways I give back to our community is through my partnership with John Stoddard Cancer Center. That relationship began because of a dear friend of mine who is a patient there, and it naturally grew from there. Watching how they’ve supported her through a dangerous and difficult season of her life left a deep impression on me.

So when I had the opportunity to show my appreciation, I brought tulips. No big strategy. No marketing plan. I simply wanted to share a little joy with people who might appreciate a few fresh flowers.

What I didn’t expect was to end up on the news.

When KCCI asked to interview me about my flower donations to John Stoddard, my first instinct was to shrink back. I’m comfortable in the field, in the high tunnel, behind buckets at a market. Cameras? Not so much. Putting myself out there like that feels vulnerable. It’s easier to quietly do the good deed and move on.

But I said yes.

Standing there talking about the farm — about why flowers and bees matter, farming and community, about why I wanted to make that donation — felt uncomfortable at first. And then it felt meaningful. Because it wasn’t really about me. It was about the flowers and the people receiving them.

Several recipients reached out afterward and shared pieces of their stories with me. I was deeply touched to be trusted with something so personal. That’s the part I didn’t anticipate - the connection and opportunity to hear from my newly minted tulip friends. 

I’m still not sure I’ll ever feel fully comfortable being on camera. But I do appreciate that more people now know what I’m growing, why I’m growing it, and what this little farm stands for — community, stewardship, and care.

And if a few more days were brightened because of some tulips? That feels like a pretty good outcome.

You can see the interview HERE.