Stranger Found A Rose

Stranger Found A Rose …Left Devastated By Note Attached

I noticed it while passing the lake—a single red rose lying near the water’s edge, with a small note tucked beneath it. Out of simple curiosity, I bent down and read it.

Could someone just toss this into the lake? My wheelchair no longer allows me to reach the lakeside where my late husband’s ashes remain. I have to drive back up tonight because the gates are locked. Many thanks. x

My chest tightened.

I looked around, but whoever had left it was already gone.

I held the rose for a moment, feeling the weight of what I was about to do. It wasn’t just a flower. It was love, grief, and remembrance all wrapped in crimson petals. I walked slowly to the edge of the water, took a deep breath, and let it go.

I watched as the rose floated out onto the lake, leaving ripples in its wake—and I realized, in that quiet moment, that this small act of compassion was changing something in me.

The next morning, I sat on my patio with a view of the lake, sipping coffee, still thinking about the note. Who was she? What was her story? Questions circled in my mind like the ripples left by that rose. It didn’t feel finished. It felt like the beginning of something.