She says:
A profound piece for me is the Rose with bubbles, waves, a sun plus the quote "I'd rather have a single rose..." - I got this one in memory of my great grandmother. She played a huge role in my life and I still miss her every day. My favorite childhood memory was running over to her house, she lived next door, and left out a bowl of candies for us. They were creme de menthe soft candies, and I remember he when I see them nowadays on those green and white wrappers.
She passed away of cancer when I was 14 years old, and before she did, she asked my grandmother to read a poem she had picked out for the funeral. The bubbles (5 of them) represent my family - my parents, two brothers and myself, the waves are representative of Lac St-Jean. I used to spend my summers at my great-grandmother's cottage, located right on the water front there. I still go every year. It is my slice of paradise...
The words are from the poem
*BRING ME ALL YOUR FLOWERS NOW*I would rather have a single ROSE
from the garden of a friend,
then have the choicest flowers
when my stay on Earth must end.
I would rather have the kindest words
which may now be said to me,
then flattered when my heart is still,
and this life has ceased to be.
I would rather have a loving SMILE
from the friends I know are true,
than tears shed around my casket,
when this world I've bade adieu!
Bring me all your flowers,
whether PINK,or WHITE, or RED.
I'd rather have ONE BLOSSOM now
then a truckload when I'm dead.
Author: R.D. Richards
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The blueberries on my left write are a favorite, a symbol of home for me. I grew up in Saguenay Lac-St-Jean and until I turned 8, my backyard was a blueberry field. I will never forget it. We used to spend days out there in the summer, picking blueberries for pies and eating them as we went. It reminds me of home, of my childhood and of course my great grandmother. It is also fitting that "Des bleuets" is a nice nick name for local people of my region.