04/15/2026
From Carolyn’s Heart
(Please read)
This rose is the first to bloom of the nine additional roses being planted this spring at Grace and Gratitude Farm. Isn’t she lovely?
But I don’t want to talk about her beauty today, I want to talk about the beautiful hand behind the beautiful rose, the one holding her between fingers so she can smile for the camera.
That hand has done so much in the past three months. It has seeded, it has weeded. It’s raked off winter, and scrubbed and lugged heavy pots.
It’s taken cuttings and transplanted thousands of seedlings, sometimes stepping them up more than once before they can go to the garden or to market.
The same hand has shoveled compost along with hoeing long, wide rows where our cutting flowers will grow. And between all of it, that hand always has time to pick up her little one to cuddle him, hugs her bigger one, holds the book while she reads to her little one, gently wipes her emerging tears as she listens to the bigger one reading a book to her.
I know all this because that hand behind the rose belongs to my daughter, my friend, my business partner.
She does have a matching hand though, and as her mama I know she wishes she had another set, and I watch everyday all the many tasks her hands so willingly, lovingly, and confidently accomplish.
This spring has been a challenging time for me so the farm workload has all been on Kayleigh's shoulders, one of which is injured. I’m grateful for Mike, my terrific son in law, for helping her when she needs him. Which brings me to here….
In January, I was hospitalized with pneumonia. I haven’t been able to breathe well since having COVID and purely by accident a CT Scan of my lungs revealed a lesion on my kidney. Further investigation with MRI was done, and on my birthday I learned I have kidney cancer.
Through the last three months those same two/too busy hands have guided me. Hell at times they held me tight to hold me all together! My heavy sighs to release anxiety were greeted with a shoulder squeeze, or the words, “I know Mama.” Both Kayleigh and/or Josh have been with me for each appointment as a comfort to my fear.
And it was good to know we were on the same page of learning and making decisions. I am blessed with loving children.
Tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM I will undergo either a partial nephrectomy or a complete nephrectomy (removal of tumor, if possible, or removal of kidney). I’m strong, I have faith and I’ve got this!
If you made it this far I’d like to ask you to pray, shine white light or send positive energy into the universe for me, my surgeon, his team and the anesthesiologist.
Thank you all for your friendship and for the love and support all our customers have shown us since we launched Grace and Gratitude 12 years ago. We appreciate you!
Kayleigh will be atOld Beach Farmers Market on Saturday morning and I’ll be back as soon as this is all behind me.
Thank you from my heart !
Blessings,
Carolyn
