Remembering Ashes...from the IdealIdol site:http://clayaikentheidealidol.com/A-Rose_by-any-other-name.html
~A Rose by Any Other Name~
Words by YMarie
Photo blends by Ashes
~~~
“I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.
Along with the sunshine, there’s got to be a little rain sometimes.”
I ran across these words the other day, and with the recent reminder that we will soon be embarking on our 8th year with Clay, I started thinking about how Clay has been, and still is, my rose garden.
When I first saw Clay, he appeared like a rose bud - sweet, innocent, fresh - having yet to reach his full potential. Week after week, he began to blossom and grow as each petal unfolded, until that final week when he burst forth in all his glory.
The next few months, and then years, added more rose buds to the bush: CDs, tours, TV roles, author, Broadway star. And just as before, each experience bloomed into a rose more beautiful than the last.
As anyone who has grown roses knows, however, they are not without their downside, and so it was with Clay. There were thorns that pricked me, as they wounded him. There were harmful insects that tried their level best to destroy the flower of his career. But he covered the wounds with the bandage of “Here’s to not caring”. He shook off the pests, and took his revenge, not by trying to repay in kind, but by succeeding in spite of their efforts. I have raised roses in the heat of a Nevada summer, or the cold of a Montana winter. Every year the rose survives some of the harshest climates, and comes back strong, just as Clay does through every adversity. By his example I am learning to do the same.
Every garden needs a little rain, too. So it was with my Clay-rose garden. The constant drip-drip-drip that annoys me, also strengthens my awareness and resolve to not let “them” win. He has earned my loyalty, my respect, and my trust.
Eventually, to remain healthy and strong, the rose bush must be pruned, the deadwood cut away. By getting rid of the entities that were holding him back, Clay is now free to continue to blossom and grow. And so it is my hope, as we start this new decade together, that with a new label, new possibilities to explore, and the love and support of me, and others like me, the world will finally see the beautiful bouquet that is Clay Aiken. ...
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