Last year I took a leap of faith and traveled to London for an intensive Professional Business of Floristry and Events Styling Course from Judith Blacklock. I went into this class with a severe lack of confidence in my abilities and wasn’t sure I was good enough to even pass the class. I learned so much more than the art of floral arranging! I learned that sometimes the experiences we are blessed with in life are not always what we think they will be. Many times they turn out to be so much more!

I came home with a LIGHT filled resolve to stand up for myself. And even more, the encouragement from Judith to never let anyone take my confidence away from me ever again. Life rarely turns out how we think it will. Sometimes that’s a sad thing, but more often than not, it’s a happy thing! Life isn’t always smooth and blissful. It’s the hard times that help us appreciate and cherish the good times even more. Those fleeting moments of joy are what carry us through the trials that are sure to come our way.

I can’t believe it’s been a year since my magical journey to find my way again in life, and I was blessed to go to London to find it! Over the past year I have searched for ways to continue my learning in the field of floristry. I love it and want to share what I learn with others so they can love it and share it as well. I’ve taken a few one-day classes here in Utah from some lovely women.

I took one such class this past Saturday at “Sun River Gardens” in Orem, Utah. Our instructor, Tonya LeMone, works in the potted plant greenhouse at Sun River, creating and designing some of the loveliest arrangements that make Sun River unique. I’ve been wanting to make an outdoor floral chandelier and thought about designing and creating it on my own. In an effort to step outside my comfort zone, I signed up to take the class. I got up early, which is not my favorite thing to do being a night owl, and drove one hour south of my home to arrive at Sun River in time for the 9:00 am class. Tonya was a delight! She was kind, helpful, encouraging, praiseworthy, and knowledgeable. If you’re looking for some fun classes check out the summer workshop classes at Sun River Gardens in Orem, Utah. I have also signed up to take their Garden Obelisk Workshop in August, and I can’t wait. I saw it last year, but couldn’t make it on the day they had scheduled it. I didn’t want to miss out again this year. Glad I jumped on quick to sign-up. It’s already sold out. In the past year I’ve taken a wax seal class, as well as a Mother’s Day floral arranging class from Alpine Studios, in Alpine, Utah. I would love to find more classes a little closer to home, in addition to teaching more myself!

Here is the link to the upcoming workshops at Sun River Gardens. https://sunrivergardens.com/product-category/workshops

Here is the link to the upcoming workshops at The Alpine Workshop. https://www.alpineworkshop.co

It was fun to meet new people and see what they planned to use their floral chandeliers for. Wedding season is in full bloom here in Utah, and most of the chandeliers were being created to decorate for wedding showers, ceremonies, and receptions. I always love to see how each class participant ends up creating their own original arrangement, different than any others in the class, given the same exact materials.

One thing I discovered on Saturday is the real reason we are led and guided to do things. Yes, I could have designed and assembled my own custom floral chandelier all by myself here at home – alone. But I would have missed out on meeting some kind and lovely women! In classes like this, participants and instructors forge friendships that wouldn’t happen any other way. Encouragement from one another builds self-worth and confidence, making the class a LIGHT-FILLED environment. I learned this quickly in London, and am grateful that even a year later, our classmates are still closely connected! We are there for one another to encourage and cheer for our friends as they reach for and attain their goals and desires. In the end, isn’t this what life is all about? The flowers are beautiful, and the arrangements bring joy and happiness to others. But the relationships built along the way create the real beauty and reason we are here together on earth!

Thanks to modern technology, and social media, I am blessed to stay connected to my beloved London Floral Friends! This group of friends is sprinkled throughout the world. Many live in the UK, others across the USA from Chicago, Connecticut, Tennessee, and me in Utah. The rest are from Ireland, Japan, China, Dubai, Iran, and Barbados. What a wonderful time to be alive creating friendships with diverse groups of people all striving to achieve similar goals and purposes all over the world!

There are many ways to learn, and sometimes you get even more than you dreamed of when you step outside your box and try something new that might even scare you a little bit. This is what I’ve been trying to do more in the past year. I have learned so much and gained lifelong friends who share the same desire to learn and discover their own God-given talents and abilities.

You don’t have to travel to London to take a class - although I highly recommend it if you can! 😊 Seek for opportunities to learn something new in the area where you live. And if you can’t find any, search online! You can tour the world and learn from the best of the best from your own home computer or laptop. Judith Blacklock also offers online classes! https://www.judithblacklock.com

The challenge this week is to take some time, write down things that interest you. Then search online to find ways to learn more about these things. And when you do, be sure to share them with others. As we share our talents and passions for the things we love, we share LIGHT!

Have a great week! Love Ya, Les 😊

Create

Yearn to Learn