When Things Don’t Go According to Plan

Good morning, friends,

Friday, our family loaded up the truck and planned to spend the weekend in the Annapolis/DC area. We received tickets to the Freedom 250 race in D.C. and planned to make the most of one last summer weekend before going back to school.

Our first stop was dinner and a show at Medieval Times.  I hope I never get tired of experiencing the wonder and excitement of something through the eyes of our child. Garrett ate his half chicken like a true Renaissance man and cheered on our Green Knight like he was part of our family. He said the jousting competition was his favorite part.

Annapolis isn't that far from home, but when we arrived at our hotel after dinner, I realized the bag I had packed for myself was, in fact, packed...It just wasn't actually with us in the truck.

Hmmm.

I laughed hysterically, I'm not sure Chris found quite as much humor in my antics at first, but I think he was thankful later that I could settle on a quick wardrobe pick from the local Walmart and move on with our weekend.

My mother is reading that sentence and saying, “Denise, this is why I make a list...alphabetized...with checkboxes.”

And she's right.

But because I don't share quite the same passion for organization as my Ma, experiences like this have given me plenty of opportunities to learn how to respond when things don't go according to plan.

And, for the record, this is not the first time I've left home without packing essentials, a fun fact about your very human local flower farmer. 

But really—what do we do, what do you do, when things don't go according to plan?  Is our first reaction to grasp for control, trying to fix everything ourselves? Or can we relinquish control and trust that God is present—even when the plan looks different than the one we made?

A Little Family Adventure 

The rest of our weekend was spent in Washington, D.C. for Freedom 250. Garrett rode the Metro, saw the President, visited the Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian, and squeezed in some ice cream and Dave & Buster's fun too.  Some of those were experiences Chris and I hadn't even had until this weekend, but we are so thankful for the opportunity to spend this time with Garrett, making memories that may truly be once-in-a-lifetime ones.

And now?

We have less than 72 hours to somehow convince our bodies that bedtime and school-morning routines are a thing again. 

Meanwhile, Back in the Field 

Last week's tornado watch brought 3.75 inches of rain in a single day, according to our rain gauge.

By late Thursday evening, the field was holding a lot of water and many of the blooms were heavy and leaning. I spent well into the dark staking waterlogged flowers and helping them stand again.

But Friday morning, the water receded and we opened the field for a little pop-up morning harvest. Chris and Garrett welcomed guests while I was off the property, and a sweet group of teens chose to celebrate their friend's birthday here with us.  Blooms, butterflies & a birthday celebration. 

Dahlias Have Arrived 

The dahlias are beginning to bloom, and we're excited to start sharing them! Last week and future weeks, dahlias will be featured in our Premium Pre-Order Bouquets, if you want the dahlia's this is the way you can get them, as they are not included as part of our open harvest experience.  Pre-order bouquets by Thursday, August 27th for Friday or Saturday evening pick up. 

These special blooms take a little extra time and care to grow, harvest, and handle, making them a beautiful addition to our premium bouquets. If you'd like to enjoy some of the first dahlias of the season, be sure to pre-order your bouquet. 

Something Exciting is Growing 

We also received some exciting news for Gathered Bloom!  Our application was selected from among other local applicants to participate in Delaware Tech's Visual Communication Applied Practice Internship Program this semester.  Through this opportunity, students and staff from our local college will collaborate with us to support our small business through branding, visual design, photography, and videography.

As both a teacher and a small business owner, I am really excited to create meaningful applications and give students opportunities to take what they're learning in the classroom and apply it to a real small business in their own community.  We're excited to meet with the team, hear their ideas, learn alongside them, and see what we create together throughout the semester. And we're especially excited to welcome them into the field and give them an opportunity to capture not only the flowers, but the heart behind Gathered Bloom.

This Saturday - An evening in the flowers 

As we settle into our first full week of back-to-school life, we're giving ourselves Friday to regroup, but please plan to visit us Saturday 4:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. for Open Field Harvest.

Come walk the field, cut some flowers, watch the butterflies, and enjoy an early evening among the blooms.  The season is changing. Our routines are changing. And the field is changing right along with us. We'd love to share a little piece of it with you Saturday.

So, as we begin this week reflecting on plans made—and plans changed—let's remember this:

When things change—and they will—we get to decide what will guide our hearts in the change.

Will it be our need to control what happens next, or our trust in the One who already knows what comes next?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
— Proverbs 3:5–6

Here's to a new week, changing seasons, plans that don't always go quite as expected, and trusting God through all of it.

With gratitude,