UPS Brought Me Something I Didn't Order . . .

The UPS delivery people in our neighborhood know me by name. Between building the cabin, Christmas shopping for a family of 15, and Amazon Prime free shipping, they stop at my door often during the week. I've gotten to the point that if the doorbell rings between 1-3, I'm pretty sure it's UPS and I don't spring up to answer it.

Two days ago, the doorbell rang while I was snuggling a feverish little blond girl I love. Didn't think much of it and didn't move from the couch. It could wait. An hour later, when Eve wasn't quite as clingy, I opened the door to see what had been left on my doorstep. (Admittedly, this part is a little like Christmas and one reason I love shopping online.)

It was an unfamiliar white box with red lettering, gently propped up in the shadiest corner of my 65-degree porch, the bold letters PERISHABLE printed on the side. What was this?

And it had been sent from . . .

. . . Hawaii?

I don't know anyone in Hawaii.

I brought the box to the counter and carefully opened it. On top was a card.

"Thanks for Christmas. Love, Greg and Janie."

Brad's parents have a timeshare in Hawaii . . .  Oh . . .  now the pieces were fitting together.

I unwrapped each layer of the damp shredded newspaper, and among the pieces I found the most beautiful and unusual of the earth's flowers.

I've never been to Hawaii, but the only flower I even recognized was the red lily. Every other one is novel and exquisite.

They smell so good--unlike anything I've ever smelled before.

Micah is studying microorganisms, bacteria, and teeny things in science right now. He begged me to let him take one of the blooms to look at under the microscope.

Lucky for him, one of the flowers was broken from its stem in transit, so I agreed.

I wish I were in fifth grade today. I can't wait to hear what they saw.

Thanks for thinking of me, Greg. I love the flowers. Maybe one day we'll make it to Hawaii to see some of them ourselves.