This story is about how “one” becomes two and with careful love and guidance, the “two” takes on the beauty of the original “one.”   A mother, a daughter.    A seed, a flower.  And, then. . .a seed again.

 

All over the world people are doing amazing things that almost always spring from ideas, tiny dreams that build into beautiful realities.   Changing their lives. . .changing the world around them for the better. . .leaving behind the scent of wonder that will linger not in the noses of those who remember, but in their hearts and minds. 

 

This is a story not just about an Idaho woman—Marie Clark—who read an article in O Magazine and was inspired to grow lavender, but about the daughter who brought my attention to what has now grown into a lavender farm (www.lakesidelavender.com) that draws visitors yearly from near and far in search of the scent of serenity and the vision of purple beauty. 

 

Back in 2003, Marie read the article in O Magazine about a woman who left her fast-paced city life, moved to a rural area, bought a piece of land, started a lavender farm and changed her lifestyle.  Marie, herself, had moved from New York several years earlier. 

 

Inspired, Marie and her husband (Steve) traveled to Sequim, Washington where there are more than a dozen lavender farms in the area.  Together they learned how to start a farm of their own, and eventually how to share its harvest with others.   

 

Each year, Marie and her family host a Lakeside Lavender Festival that has attracted more than 5,000 lavender lovers over the past three years.  The festival is lakeside, because the farm sits just off the shores of Lake Lowell in Nampa, Idaho.  On July 12 & 13, 2008, the fourth annual celebration will kick-off, featuring more than 1,300 lavender plants available for self-harvest.  Plants will also be for sale, along with homemade lavender products, creations from local artisans, a special lavender-inspired boxed lunch and lavender/lemon Snocones.   

 

Below is information about the events, and O. . .there are still flights available from Chicago to Boise.  The events are all free.  Festival and vendor hours run from 9 am – 4 pm on both days.  Live music will be featured each day from 11 am – 3 pm, along with a delicious lavender-centered boxed lunch from 11-2 pm (until gone).  Directions to the farm or more information can be found at:  www.lakesidelavender.com or by calling (208) 466-0523.


I have attended the festival two of the last three years upon receiving an initial invitation from Marie’s daughter, Jessica Flynn.   I’ve known Jessica for several years and the lavender festival was the first place I met her mother, along with the rest of her lovely family.  Jessica has a favorite quote on her Facebook account, which I thought was so fitting. 

 

What is Success?
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

(Bessie Stanley)

 

Attend for the harvest. . . or to simply breath in the sweet smell of inspiration.  There is nothing more O.