The Power of Words
January 3, 2024
That Embarrassing Thing I Did in College
March 4, 2024
One of the most memorable hostess gifts I ever received was in a container filled with straw.
“Put these in your refrigerator overnight, then release them in your garden tomorrow,” said my guest as she handed me a small paper bag.
I was perplexed until I opened the bag and realized it was a container of ladybugs, a thoughtful gift from Julie Aigner-Clark, founder and creator of Baby Einstein™. I met Julie soon after COPE was launched at University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology, and we bonded for many reasons, including the fact she is a fellow breast cancer survivor. She and her husband attended a mid-summer open house for COPE that Rene and I hosted a few years back.
The morning after our event, I took her gift out of our kitchen refrigerator and carried it down to the flower garden outside my office window that I planted in memory of my late mother.
Some of the ladybugs took flight as I emptied out the contents, while others started crawling over blooming flower plants.
Over the course of that summer, I smiled and thought of Julie every time a ladybug crawled across a page of my book when I was reading outside. That winter, when we brought houseplants in the from deck and downstairs patio, several ladybugs came inside as well.
It appears that ladybugs have taken up permanent residence in our home, thanks to Julie’s enduring gift, and we benefit year-round from their presence. They are one of our “good bugs.” What I love most is their symbolism of sustainability. Over the course of their lifetime, which is typically one year, a ladybug can eat up to 5,000 insects, including aphids and other plant-eating pests.
Ladybugs represent the best of life itself. They make their colorful presence known, but they also do their part to help others and maintain nature’s balance.
Truly, the perfect gift.
