Lord, Please Watch Over the Flower Lady

Last night as the window howled and snow was getting ready to fall, as I was asking God to please not let a tree fall down and land on our house or for rehearsal to be cancelled this weekend, a thought came into my head... what about the Flower Lady?

For those of you who don't know, there's a little old lady that used to live down on 185th Ave. I've never actually seen her till recently, but my parents used to tell me stories about how they'd go out to lunch and in the back of the restaurant would be a homeless lady dressed in really bright clothes. Layers and layers of colorful clothes and a flower on her hat. When she'd leave the restaurant for who knows where, she'd push along this shopping cart filled with everything she had; colorful bits of odds and ends and flowers. Always flowers.


We call her the Flower Lady.


Always alone, always on 185th Avenue. Until recently...

I finally saw the Flower Lady a few weeks ago. We were driving down Walker Road when my mom said suddenly. "The Flower Lady! On the left!"

I quickly looked across the street. She was a little, Asian lady, calming walking down the street with a smile on her face. Her outfit was different - all either white or tan instead of colorful. She wore baggy pants, a coat or two, and what looked like a large white comforter was held around her shoulders. On her head was a little white snow hat with a flower sticking straight up.

"What's she doing so far from home?" Mom wondered aloud as we passed her.

Over the next couple weeks, every time we drove done Walker Road I looked for her. I saw her once as far down as Beaverton Four Square Church. One day she was carrying a Fred Meyer bag. Another, she was staring at the ground dejectedly, plodding along through the cold.

A few days ago we were driving on 185th Ave. As we pulled into the Target parking lot, my mom said. "There's the Flower Lady's cart. Must have abandoned it..."

I caught a quick glance of the cart as we passed. Abandoned on the side of the road, flowers and all.

"Hopefully she left it for something better."


Now as I look out the window at the snow... I can't stop thinking about the Flower Lady. Where is she? I don't know if she has some place to go or not. And it's 20 degrees outside... is she warm enough?

I don't know why... but I'm worried for her.

I'm worried for someone I've never met.

Lord, please watch over the Flower Lady. I don't know I she has anywhere to go or anything to eat, but I know You can help her stay warm.