The flowers were the easy part. While my first FleurEverMore cutting garden bloomed, my forty-year-old mobile home was still a construction zone — but with the help of the people who showed up along the way, the messy, unfinished middle became something I could enjoy.

My world had been measured in paint cans, drop cloths, and unfinished projects. Then my sister and nieces joined me for a few days in New York City, where we traded renovation lists for city streets, old memories, and new adventures.