Like many good things, Oak Haven came about because of a trying and painful season. I have always enjoyed gardening and even planted flowers as a little girl for my family! As my own family grew, maintaining a garden of any sort became less important as I was taking care of my kids. The idea of flower farming was a thought but a distant one as motherhood had taken over my life.
In 2021, I found myself happily expecting my sixth baby! I had been dreaming of flower farm plans but those went on hold as I nourished another life! Unfortunately, I lost that baby and was devastated. I was always very sick through every pregnancy but I gave birth to healthy babies. But not this time. I felt like I would never recover such a loss. Mental and emotional recovery took a long time and I wasn't sure I wanted to jump into anything else as I was healing.
In the fall of 2022, plans for Oak Haven flower farm started coming to life. I began learning (and learning more!) and reading and planning and dreaming! This was going to be a much bigger thing than what people think of when they hear a flower farm but I was up for the challenge!
The plans started moving forward in 2023, but I found myself pregnant again. I didn't have much time to think about things and I didn't have to, because I lost that baby too. I looked to Oak Haven as a place of refuge and poured myself into its creation. It felt good to work towards something I could (somewhat) control and see to completion.
A couple months later, I was pregnant AGAIN, and this time, very hopeful. The spring flowers had been started and some were planted but sickness overtook me. I accepted this new baby though and let go of any flower farm plans. What a roller coaster!
As had become the pattern, I ended up losing that baby as well. Through much sadness, I jumped into the flower farm and was able to salvage some things in my gardens. This brought Oak Haven Flower Farm to life! It was so difficult to lose three babies in a row, but my time in the sun, the cold, the dirt, the flowers, the rain, and the heat was so healing. Many conversations with God happened in those flower fields. The physical labor that demanded so much from my body helped bring healing. I spent hours testing my physical and mental endurance through every season, loss, and victory. What was happening in secret, and at times mental darkness, amdist the flowers was bringing something new to life!
As a flower farmer, I constantly see sermon illustrations and God speaking through the tiniest creatures! Every seed, bulb, corm, tuber, or root I plant into the ground has a time of darkness and dormancy. Some don't make it out, but for the ones that do, something new and breathtaking emerges!
We know each and every one of you are busy, with lives filled with your own stories. Whatever your connection with Oak Haven Flower Farm, whether it's through getting bouquets at our roadside stand, enjoying our many animals, gathering flowers for special occasions, or just basking in the beauty of the farm while you visit, we hope you experience something beautiful and fresh!
Warm hugs,
Genevieve
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