May 8

May 8 A Bouquet of Words by Mary Kelava

FROM THE ‘SMALL SEED OF AN IDEA’ TO AN ‘ABUNDANT BOUQUET OF EXPERIENCES’

or… How I Became An Author

I never dreamed of becoming an author. A teacher, a wife, a mother - yes. But - author? No. Not even once. Yet here I am today - one book written and published, with a second book on the way.

I spent years as an early childhood educator and I loved it. The children were inquisitive, creative, thoughtful, active, and always keen to learn. Each day differed from the one before, and there was always a new adventure to conquer.

But, sometimes good things end and it’s time to move on to something else. When that happened to me, I knew exactly what I wanted to do - I wanted to become a florist.

I began training in my hometown of Vancouver. Over the years, I was fortunate enough to have opportunities to continue learning in London, Dublin, North Carolina, Portland, and Seattle.

When I felt I was ready, I started my own floral business. Weddings, funerals, weekly deliveries, and special orders were all part of the work week.

But my favourite thing about being a florist was hosting workshops. Workshops gave me the chance to incorporate my enthusiasm for teaching with my knowledge of flowers.

Life changed again, and just as Covid hit, I shut down my floral business. That allowed me to write my first book - A Bouquet of Words - Express Yourself Through the Language of Flowers.

A Bouquet of Words began with a seed of an idea I had years earlier, after I read a novel called The Language of Flowers, by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Within the first few pages, I was captivated by the idea that each flower has its own meaning, and that just by your choice of flowers, you can share your thoughts and sentiments with others.

I started researching and collecting all the information I could on this topic. What I learned was that the language of flowers was not as straightforward as I first thought. There was one major issue when trying to learn it, and that was the sheer volume of flowers and meanings that are listed in a floral dictionary. Let me explain.

The language of flowers has been around for centuries and across all cultures. And all the cultures across all eras assigned a meaning to each flower. So in the language of flower dictionaries, one flower can have multiple meanings - and sometimes those meanings can be the total opposite of each other.

Take the sunflower for example. It can mean ‘adoration’ because of the way it turns its face towards the sun, or it can mean ‘haughtiness’ because it looks like it’s turning its nose up to something. You can see how confusing this can be.

What I did was take all of my research, and while staying true to the roots of the language of flowers, I modernized and simplified it. Now, instead of being overwhelmed by the vast amount of information and choices, you’ll discover just how easy it is to choose the perfect flowers to share the exact sentiments you want.

I hope that A Bouquet of Words will capture your imagination and you will soon be ‘speaking the language of flowers’ to make meaningful and personalized choices when giving flowers as gifts, planting flowers in your garden, or using flowers at an event.

I’m now working on my second book, More Than a Bouquet - A Happier, Healthier You. With this book, my goal is to introduce you to a new self-care habit that will boost your mood through simple actions with flowers, making a happier, healthier life for you and those around you.

Mostly, I am a ‘live in the moment’ type of person. I rarely sit and look at the past and reflect on my life, but while writing this blog post I’ve done just that.

I’m amazed that not only have I written a book, but that people can find it in over a dozen specialty shops in Vancouver, online at Amazon, Indigo/Chapters, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones in England, and that it won a silver medal at the Independent Publishers Book Awards in 2024.

It really made me think about how you just never know what ‘Small Seed of an Idea’ today can turn into an ‘Abundant Bouquet of Experiences’ tomorrow!

About Mary:

I am a dual citizen of Canada and the UK, living in Vancouver. I feel grateful and lucky to have my husband, children, grandchildren, mum, and parents-in-law all living nearby. Whenever I get the opportunity I travel to England to visit my extended family, explore my family history, and immerse myself in the wonderful floral culture they have.

I am proud to share with you my first book, the award-winning A BOUQUET OF WORDS: Express Yourself Through the Language of Flowers, a charming reference for those new to the world of flowers or for flower enthusiasts looking to deepen their knowledge.

I’ve had so much fun writing, publishing, and marketing A Bouquet of Words and I’m equally excited about the second book I am working on (which I hope to publish in 2025) More Than A Bouquet - A Happier, Healthier, You!

For those of you new to the world of flowers or flower enthusiasts looking to deepen their knowledge, I hope you enjoy what I have to share with you.