Cassie's Roses

When I met Cassie, she was at that betwixt and between stage of life. She and her husband had been rather disappointed in the church they had attended and, from the story she told, rightly so.
Cassie was old enough to be my mother but that didn't stop a friendship from forming. Being the free spirit that she was, she invited me for tea one morning over twenty years ago. Being the free spirit that I was, I accepted.
Now, Cassie's free spirited ways sometimes got her in trouble but that didn't stop her from seeing you 'through the looking glass' of her unique view of life... or, is that... seeing you through her unique 'looking glass' of life?

Cassie loved her cats and the one cat, in particular, seemed to know that he was special. He was catered to and spoken to like he was a regular member of the family... and he seemed to enjoy this privilege.
Now, if you can imagine how spoiled her cat was... you can just multiply that a few times and that is how she treated the people in her life.
She spoiled everyone with her own special variety of love... and, it was lovely. Cupcakes and tea and a special teapot for the tea party she would throw, impromptu,... always ready with sweets and goodies.
She did things in a big way... no miserly anything... the teapot came out of the china cabinet... no showpiece that piece of furniture... no, her china cabinet of precious things were used for her precious guests.
One summer, Cassie decided to landscape her front property and she lined the front driveway with rosebushes. When they flowered you could spot that splash of hot cherry pink from quite a distance.
Simmy recalled how Cassie invited her out for breakfast and included her three rather healthy eating young boys as well. Simmy couldn't recall anyone else having the courage to pick up the restaurant tab for her little crew of men.
So, on this snowy day in March, I am celebrating my friend Cassie...

 who, with a poets' heart, found her place, back in church after many years of trying to make sense of the good, the bad, the ugly, but most importantly,...
                                               figured out where she would plant her beauty!