A gift of flowers

She thinks of wintertime, when everything seems still. The windows are covered with frosty patterns. When she closes her eyes, there’s a field of glittering pearls in front of her. The winter wind seems to whisper a story:

“Once upon a time, there was a widower who lived with his two daughters, both very smart and curious. The girls always asked him many questions. Sometimes he had answers for them, sometimes not. As he wanted to give them the best education, he sent them to the house of a wise man for their holidays. The wise man always had answers to their questions.

One day, one of the girls decided to deceive the wise old man. To this end, she brought a blue butterfly. “What are you going to do?” her sister asked. “I shall hide the butterfly in my hands and ask the wise man whether the butterfly is dead or alive. If he says it is dead, I shall open my hands and let it fly away. If he says it is alive, I shall close my hands and crush it. So, whatever he answers, he will be wrong.” The two girls immediately went to see the wise man and found him meditating. ”I have a blue butterfly in my hands,” the girl began. “Tell me, wise man, is it alive or is it dead?” The wise man smiled serenely and told her: “It depends on you... as it is in your hands. Our life, our past, present, and future, are just like the blue butterfly. It depends on us to choose what we do with it!”

On 1st March, the fresh blades of grass are yet to have emerged and joined nature’s dream. And Ioni began to make her dream become a reality. At Christmas, although she knew it might not turn out right, she started to draw sketches for her big plan. By the turn of the New Year, she had already created many different shapes and drawings for her March amulets. With her imagination and creativity, she designed templates for two unique March amulets, and created them with her hardworking and gifted hands.

On the fifth day of January, she started to make them in the little workshop she had arranged for herself in her living room. Day after day, in every free hour, Manciu Ioana sat there, modelling snowdrops, butterflies and flowers. During each dialysis session, she counted the ever growing number of little envelopes. For her big plan, she recruited other patients as well: Răducu Mirela, Cioculescu Ion, Secu Daniela, Ciocan Nicoleta. With a lust for life that only spring can evoke, they all transformed the quilling strips with eager hands.