Flowers and COVID-19: Melrose Letter

The following is from Lori Grasso, owner of Affairs To Remember. See how you can support Melrose businesses:

In these unprecedented times, I would like to talk about what role flowers play in all of this uncertainty. Not because this is my industry, but because they play a very important role. Flowers provide a whole lot more than people realize.

Flowers in general times are pretty affordable luxuries that many take for granted. They are readily available for people to pick up while shopping, to give for a birthday, to give to a date, to say I love you anytime or a special occasion, to congratulate for a birth or console for a death. Flowers are there for the most important events from birth until death. Right now a lot of the most common events will not be happening, but babies will still be born, birthdays and anniversaries will still happen and sadly deaths will, too.

The major reason flowers will be so needed right now is to give a grieving family support or an embrace in your absence. Flowers will represent you when the process of burying a loved one will be a hurried and very private process. Flowers will make a grieving, widow, mom, dad, sibling, cousin, grandchild feel loved and supported even though you cannot be there with them, hug them, cry with them or show them your support. Flowers will do all of that and more.

The second most important role in these days of uncertainty is a feeling of happy. Flowers are going to be a form of wellness when yoga studios, massage therapists, various spiritual outlets, etc are closed. The feelings of loneliness, anxiety, fear and stress are going to need relief and flowers provide this. Flowers will be needed in this time more than ever.

As this is my chosen industry, my life’s work, I have always known what benefits flowers had but like so many I did not know how to express this. I always knew that I did not sell just flowers, that I am in the business of selling emotions. I did not realize, myself, how important the business of emotions would ever be…

Aside from flowers being so important to life as we now know it, florists along with other, seemingly non-essential businesses, need your support right now. For us to be there for all the happy, sad or trying events in life we need you all, as much us. We are in this together and together we will get through this. Please show your love for your favorite businesses as they need it. I promise in my business that your love shown will be beneficial to you or your friend or family member tenfold.