Ohhhh! They're beautiful, Xuan. Gorgeous blooms. I was JUST thinking about you yesterday - honest! That's soo strange that you crossed my mind and now here you are. ;o) and what a thrill to learn that one of my plants has become a world traveler. Lolol

I hope all is well with you and your family. Please take good care, and thank you soo much for the thank you - it means a lot.

Warm regards,

Al

Sorry, I mis-spelled the word "brought" (poor English!).

Al, you don't know how much I "worried" about the cuttings... they were so tiny when I got them from you when winter was approaching and I didn't believe they'd root and live! I didn't post any follow-ups on the cuttings because I wanted to make sure they'd be ok first. Lucky me, they adapted well to temperate climate in my Dalat garden, and have grown this much! In fact, I had to leave the cuttings in the care of my relatives for a long period of time last year when I went overseas again. Since been back, I have been taking good care of them and now I have three plants in one pot and they're producing new blooms almost every day!

Thank you for your well-wishes about my family as well as thank you for this beautiful plant that came to me when I was so alone in the US.

Xuan

I, too, have Al to thank... for pointing me in the right direction on my container medium needs...

Al, it's wonderful, generous people like you that put the fun and enjoyment into gardening... or back into gardening, I should say! I thought I was doing alright with the way I handled potting my bulbs, but you showed me a different path... one that is leading to healthy roots and fantastic growth!

I have employed your knowledge in my spring plantings, and I can just tell that I'm going have a much better year of growth and flowering than I've had in the past. So, thank you... you're a gem, Al!

Wonderful goldfish flowers, Xuan! Did you post those photos on our forum, too? Or am I having a bad memory day?

Xuan - No need to worry about the English. And you are right - I had no way of knowing how much you worried about the cuttings after I sent them, but I know now, and your story moved me. ;o)

I had an e-mail conversation with a dear friend today - about what it means for us to share a plant with another person you have some connection with. It doesn't have to be a life connection, or even a strong one; sometimes we just share during a fleeting connection, like when a person comes into your garden to look around and you send them home with a plant that was waiting 'just for them'. Other times, it's a dear friend, and you give them a piece of yourself in the gift of green you give so they can take it to their garden where it will live with them, and perhaps hopefully remind them of the giver. More often than not, just the knowledge that that little piece of you is being tended by a friend is more than enough.

Most often, I feel like I get more satisfaction from the giving than the recipient gets from the gift, but every once in awhile, the recipient is so gracious in their thanks, that I feel like they really treasure their gift more than I ever thought they might. Those are the most special of all and make me want to thank the recipient for even accepting the gift. Does that make any sense? I don't know if I'm explaining that correctly.

Xuan and Jodi are both people like that - very gracious. Others, too - Mike, Ross, Nancy, Sharon, and so many others I can't immediately recall (sorry), only because I'm beat. I think all you guys are soo great - and I want to broaden that to all the other people on this forum who have been soo good to me over the last several years. You guys have really made it a joy to hang with you. Thank you. ;o)

Al

Thank you, Al... and I know exactly what you mean about those that treasure gifts more you thought they ever might... I have always felt that gardening, in any form, is for sharing... I treasure shared knowledge as much as I do shared plants or seeds! The idea that someone cares enough to share part of something personal, their garden or gardening skills, is heartwarming. I always get a good feeling when I give someone a rooted cutting or a plant or seeds, or even if I am able to help someone by giving some growing tips.

Without getting too warm and fuzzy... let's just say that sharing the gardening experience with others is as fulfilling as gardening, itself! And if you get more satisfaction from giving than receiving, you're on the right path! That's what it's all about!

Al
You are so right!! It feels good to know you all. I have another reason to where a smile on my face, first thing when I face the day, and when I retire at night.
"HUGS" as Toni would put it....:-)

Jodi, your memory is good! Yes, I posted that photo on Amaryllis forum, too, mentioning I got it from Al.
And you know, folks, when I have this one plant bloom... I feel so "relieved" that I haven't "betrayed" our friend, Al, for having entrusted those little cuttings to me!
I believe one of the greatest joy of gardening is that you can share your plants, your experience, your knowledge to people of like interest and you know for sure that they will take good care of what they get and make it flourish!
I love gardening and Gardenweb. I've got many wonderful friends who I have never met and without whose generous sharing I wouldn't have been able to enjoy my gardens and plants as much as I do now.
Thank you all.

Xuan