Leslie in London – Part One
/Last week I gave a little teaser on where I’ve been and what I have been doing. Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I am a home body. Ever since I traveled to Romania in 1991 to adopt our daughter Errin, I’ve had a difficult time getting back on airplanes, especially all by myself. The trauma of that entire experience is something I never wish to repeat. Fast forward 33 years, and I’ve come a long way since 1991, thankfully!
This past May, the opportunity presented itself for me to go to London for an intense two week “Professional Business of Floristry & Events Styling Course” at the Judith Blacklock Flower School.
The miracles that transpired for this trip to happen are more than I can even comprehend!
I emailed Judith in May, during the Chelsea Flower Show in which she was a presenter, and she responded immediately.
She had suddenly decided to add a previously not planned intensive two week master’s course, and asked if I could make it on that short of notice.
This is where the miracles began, my calendar was easy to clear to make it work, airline flights were all available on the days I needed them to happen, our friends who are serving an LDS Mission in England insisted on coming to the airport to pick me up and deliver me to my place of lodging.
Judith suggested a lovely place for me to stay just a short ten minute walk from the Flower School at a fraction of the cost of any local hotels.
I already had almost everything I would need to be gone from July 5th through to the 21st, and Ron was more than supportive in encouraging me to go!
Ronnie has always been my biggest and most incredible cheerleader! He told me once while I was there, “I think I am more excited about this than you are!” I replied and told him I didn’t think that was possible, as I was having the time of my life!
I did things all by myself over there, that I would have never considered doing before! I will talk about some of those things in next week’s post. The only glitch I had the entire time I was gone, was with my flight coming home.
The Microsoft computer issues delayed my flight five hours, hardly an inconvenience at all, and the pilots made up an hour in the air. Thankfully, it was a direct flight to Salt Lake City. My luggage even made it home with me!
I was blessed to meet so many new friends who made this experience one I will never forget! I went seeking further training in floral design, and came home with so much more!
Judith, her delightful staff, and the guest instructors were kind, supportive, encouraging, and uplifting in every way.
These are people who are at the top level in the floristry industry, not just in the U.K. but worldwide. Not once was I made to feel less than, or not good enough to be there.
We were all treated as equals, and because of this, we all left feeling confident and excited to see where our new found knowledge and experience could lead.
Judith likes to keep her class sizes small in order to be present and attentive to each individual student.
Our class members came from all over the world – many from the U.K., Japan, China, Dubai, Barbados, Iran, Ireland, Boston, Chicago, Tennessee, and me from Utah. A melting pot of backgrounds, experience, and pure talent.
We all got along so well, and became family by the end of our class.
I am grateful for the opportunity I had to meet and learn from these wonderful people, both instructors and follow students. This was one of those life changing experiences.
Each day was filled with engaging lectures, and fun practical experiences in all aspects of the floristry business.
One guest instructor who does the florals for Westminster Abbey told us what we learned there in two weeks, would take a year at any other floral program.
The past two years have been filled with trials, and opportunities to learn from them, however there have also been so many great and wonderful blessings!
Ron sent me this text while I was in London - “I cannot help but think what you would have missed out on if the last two years of your life had been nothing but roses!!! Makes us need to look at our trials in a different light.”
As I’ve been home for a little over a week now, I’ve had time to think about his wisdom. Had life’s events been easy, I would have never gotten to a point where I was pleading with my Heavenly Father to know what to do to change my situation.
It was this pleading that led me to find Judith Blacklock’s Flower School in London. Since returning home not much has changed with the trials I have been facing over the past two years, but the one thing that has changed . . . is me!
So often in life we are our own worst enemy, as we listen to the noise of the world around us, we begin to believe we are not enough. In a talk by Elder Ulisses Soares, entitled “Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ”, I loved this part in particular. “This confidence is the quiet yet certain assurance of receiving the blessings that God promises for those who keep their covenants and is so needed amid the challenging circumstances of our day…. As we make covenants in holiness before God and commit to follow the Savior, we receive the power to change our hearts, renew our spirits, and deepen our relationship with Him…. The result of this sacred journey is that we obtain a holier and higher confidence for our day-to-day lives within our covenants made through Jesus Christ…. It fortifies our ability to love and serve others, and it strengthens our souls to live in an unholy world that is increasingly dark and discouraging. It empowers us to overcome the seeds of doubt and despair, fear and frustration, heartache and hopelessness that the enemy tries to drive deep into our heart, especially when life is hard, trials are long, or circumstances are difficult. A biblical verse offers sound advice for each of us as we lean into the stiff wind of today’s worldly challenges: ‘Cast not away therefore your confidence.’… if there is one thing we could possess – and one thing we could pass on to our children and grandchildren that would help each in the tests and trials ahead – it would be confidence in the covenants made through Jesus Christ. Obtaining such a divine possession will help them live as the Lord promised His faithful followers: ‘My disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved…. when the Lord sees even a spark of desire or a flicker of righteous effort in our willingness to center our lives on Him and on the ordinances and covenants we make, He will bless us, in His perfect way, with the miracles and tender mercies we need.”
As we continue to seek for the miracles in our lives, we will be filled with LIGHT! Don’t allow others to write your story for you.
Look for the blessings, look for the miracles, look for the Light Givers, and whatever you do, don’t let anyone or anything dampen your “covenant confidence”.
Look for every opportunity to pursue your dreams, and look for the blessings in life.
Next week will be more about my London adventures, but on a bit of a lighter note! Have a great week, and go buy some flowers, your soul will love it!
Love Ya, Les :)