Apart from all the herbs that have surrounded me in my new garden for the past two years, roses remain my first and greatest botanical love. For me, there is no plant that can take their place. This love affair began more than a decade ago.

I lived in a world of individuals to whom a career meant everything. I adjusted to their expectations, worked hard and my life was filled with obligations. Then I had an accident – an unfortunate fall, a rather severe injury and then a lengthy rehabilitation. The doctors ordered that I be confined to bed.  I was not even allowed to sit, let alone walk. For an active person like me, it was a horrible punishment and the first week in bed was a real disaster. Then I realized that I was actually given a life opportunity and decided to take advantage of it.

I asked my family to move my bed to my garden. It was a sunny and warm period of the year, the garden was in full growth. And so it began. I was among roses all days long. I watched them grow, bloom. I ordered a mountain of books about roses, looked on the internet all the posts and movies that were in any way related to roses. I was thinking only about roses and the roses accepted me. They started teaching me, teaching me about everything connected with nature. And not only that, they also taught me about myself. They taught me love, they taught me compassion and how to open my heart. They showed me their spiritual dimension, their true essence. If someone thinks that this is just a cliché to say, they are truly wrong.  When roses invite you like they invited me, you feel it physically, as well.

Roses were for me a door to a new world, a world of love, joy and happiness. I will be eternally grateful for that. They made me a much better and happier person. Therefore, if you wish for that too, allow yourself in this time to be invited by roses.