"Roots"
"Roots"
The Depression hit hard. My great-grandparents’ cotton crops in West Texas failed; thus, the migration to East Texas followed. Roses were a safe stand-by crop. They planted their roots in Tyler, trading chickens for their first seeds. The growth of those buds influenced the history of my family permanently. The buds grew and on January 26, 1927, they opened their first nursery and eventually patented a few of their own varieties, "Breedlove Roses."
"When I was twenty, I drove into a field of roses with the cool breeze blowing across my face, holding your grandmother’s hand. I stopped the car in the field, turned to Virginia and asked her to marry me in June. She said, ‘no, but I will marry you in August.’"- Jesse Breedlove's Fondest Memory of Roses
The business of my great-grandfather shaped my grandfather’s career path. In 1951, he moved with his wife, son, and two daughters to Houston to open his own nursery.
The love of flowers and nature was passed on from father to daughter and my mother has given this love to me. Recently, I stumbled upon an article my mother had written. I would like to share a piece of it with you because I feel that the attitudes and emotions she expressed are exemplary of the influence she has had in shaping my love of nature:
"I believe a leaf of grass is no less a journey-work of the stars.
It is the handkerchief of the Lord." – Walt Whitman
As my father and his father before him were pioneers in the East Texas rose industry, I suppose it was inherent that I would grow up with a deep love and respect for my natural surroundings. My childhood days were often passed lying outside on my back under a tree, watching the clouds drift by. I asked the eternal questions of every child: Where is heaven? What is the universe? What does being alive really mean? I remember the feeling of the cool thick grass between my fingers, and the breeze and the heat. I remember my heartbeat. I remember the solitude and peace. It was my serendipity (Jennifer Scott).
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