A former employee at Log Cabin Florist found a photo of her mother receiving flowers sent from her old employer just before her father shipped off to fight in Germany in 1945.
A touching vintage photo and enclosure card, shared on social media, is showing people the emotional value of a gift of flowers and giving a subtle nod to the longevity of a Bakersville, California flower shop.
A former designer of Log Cabin Florist recently discovered a treasured family relic: a 1945 photograph of her mother receiving flowers from her father, and the accompanying tug-at-the-heartstrings card message: “It’s goodbye, only for a little while. Love always, George.”
She noticed her old employer’s name on the card and brought them by the shop to show owner Dawn Baumgarten. Deeply moved, Baumgarten asked if she could share the images with her social media followers, coworkers and friends. “It made me cry,” she said. “Every so often there’s a story that catches your heart.”
At the time the photo was taken, George (the sender) was about to leave to serve a tour in Germany during World War II. Sending flowers during that time would have been an extravagance, Baumgarten said, and the fact that the recipient saved memories of the gift for decades conveys the impact that those flowers had. (Incidentally, Jim Riggins, the shop’s owner in 1945, was also serving overseas at the time, Baumgaarten said, adding that Log Cabin struggled to stay afloat financially during the war.)
“It wasn’t a good time in people’s lives; there was a lot of uncertainty,” Baumgarten said. “But luckily, the end to this particular story was happily ever after.”
A Facebook post with the photo, enclosure card and story has had more than 3,000 engagements, Baumgarten said, including comments about “the testament of flowers” and the founders’ legacy. Log Cabin Florist recently celebrated its 80th anniversary.
