“…the most important things in life are your connections to other people.”
Each year, the end of January arrives and can feel a little…dreary. Holiday decorations are packed up and stored away. Days are still dark for longer than they are light. The cold somehow feels colder minus the twinkle lights.
And then that day comes along. You catch the golden-pink glow of the sunrise on your way to work. Warm sunlight pours in as you wash dishes. The familiar sounds and sights of birds playfully flitting about and singing their songs fills the air. Without a thought, you breathe in a deep, cleansing breath. Spring will return; it’s on its way.
That fresh, hopeful, excited anticipation is the feeling we get as we read through Ambassador applications around this time every year.
We open Ambassador applications once a year, gathering together a team of big-hearted, kind people who commit to a year of growing and giving flowers in their local communities to create and nurture kindness and connection right where they are. No big, fancy gestures or established flower farm or major investments required…simply using what they have to grow what they can, reach out to those around them, and share. No strings attached.
As they grow and give alongside each other, the Ambassador team spends the year connecting with, supporting, and encouraging each other. They have a shared heart for the project’s mission, share ideas about where and how to give flowers, ask each other how to grow “this” flower and each others’ favorite seed supplier, and encourage and cheer each other on as they try new things.
But…that’s just the beginning. The deepest, most beautiful, amazing part is that – without fail – every year this new group of 100 strangers creates a safe, welcoming, healing place of belonging for each other. Over the years, this team has walked through and supported each other through heartbreaking loss and grief and celebrated the littlest and biggest moments for and with each other.
The path to gathering such a unique group of people each year is as un-plannable and organic as you may imagine. When Ambassador applications open, we have no idea what the outcome will be. Like planting bulbs in the fall, it’s an exercise in patience and trust. We head outside, bundled in layers of warm clothes, to tuck beautiful, fresh bulbs deep in the dirt. We trust that while they lay underground, hidden for months in the cold, dark (sometimes deeply snow-covered) ground, they are doing their work and, at just the right time, will push those first fresh, green shoots up. We know it will happen – it does every year. And yet, it’s no less miraculous and delightful each year when the first tiny tip appears. And then another…and another.
It's the same with applications. One brave, heart-filled submission comes in. Then another…and another.
This year, we are thrilled to begin introducing you to the 2023 Ambassador team. First up, we have the tender, joyful honor of introducing you to this year’s scholarship recipients. Brave, generous, resilient, inspiring – these are some of the words that rise up as we reflect on these incredible people.
A scientist & first-time GK Gardener last year who, “used Growing Kindness bouquets as a way to develop friendship with my elderly neighbors some of whom are shut in due to health problems” and “would be deeply honored to follow in [her] grandmother's footsteps to share in strengthening community through sharing kindness, flowers, friendship and hope.”
Healing from debilitating physical injuries and deep trauma, gathering up the pieces of the life they knew to create something new – with generous giving at the heart of their healing. “…to share my stories of grief and hardships, and show that you can endure a lot of pain, loss, and heartbreak, but you can turn it into something meaningful by spreading kindness instead of anger. Being courageous instead of fearful. Showing empathy instead of hate.”
Volunteering at a women’s center to bring new life to overgrown gardens to share, “…with as many women inside and outside of the center as possible to encourage kindness and healing with fellow women.”
An educator for whom gardening is a significant stress-reliever who, after always growing vegetables, heard about the Growing Kindness Project. “…it completely resonated with my soul to share gorgeous flowers with others in an effort to bring joy and beauty into their lives”, and she spent the last year sharing, “…dozens and dozens of bouquets with neighbors, friends, strangers and, this past fall, with so many stressed-out teachers who bravely keep educating students each day.”
A young mom…a woman longing to be a mom…a widow…partners navigating excruciating medical journeys with their spouses.
The tender, brave, beautiful things shared with us are nothing short of a gift…a trust that we will never, never take for granted. We read each application over and over again – our only response a resounding, tearful, “how brave.” We find ourselves at the final stack of applications, and each year there is an undeniable thread of connection. A common theme woven through the stories, longings, hopes of a group of people that don’t know one another and are scattered across the country and globe (it’s true - Ambassadorship is open internationally this year!).
These incredible humans are doing amazing things and have overcome heartbreaking things – and the thing they want most is a community to journey with. As they start over again or take their next steps into the new thing they have begun, they know they want to do those things connected to others…to the Earth…to goodness and beauty.
With this amazing team leading the way (along with the rest of the team), it’s going to be another year full of awe, wonder, and kindness rippling out from community to community, building bridges and connecting us all.
Click on each Ambassador’s image below to:
follow along (on Instagram), learn how they’re growing
and giving flowers, and cheer them on in kindness this year!
