What Is a Rose? A Flower, a Fighter, and a Friend to Her Neighbors

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What is a rose?

The dictionary says it’s a flowering plant known for colorful blossoms, pleasant fragrance, and thorns that remind you beauty comes with conditions. That’s the dictionary’s definition. I’ve got another one.

So — what is a rose? Depends who you ask. Ask that botanist, you get Latin. Botanists classify roses by color — red for passion, yellow for friendship, white for purity.

There’s no botanical listing for “olive drab Army fatigues, U.S. Postal blue, and whatever she’s wearing while sweating through a Florida August,” but if there were, that’d be Rose’s color too.

Ask folks around Gateway to Hope and hear “a incredible woman who decided the correct response to a lifetime of service is more service, just without the paycheck“.

As I write this, I’d just finished talking with Rose, who’d spent the morning standing in the Florida heat, drenched in sweat, handing out lunches to the community. I’m not sure what most people picture when they hear “retirement,” but I’m fairly confident it doesn’t involve sweating through your shirt in August. Then again, this is Rose. Apparently the memo never arrived. And judging by the sweat, this is no desk job.

A Rose in Bloom: A Lifetime of Service

Sit down with Rose and it doesn’t take long to realize service isn’t something she does — it’s who she is. It started in high school, sewing clothes for homeless kids. From there: 18 years in the U.S. Army, with stops in Germany, Korea, and Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Then 26 years with the U.S. Postal Service, mostly in Ocala, with stints in New York and Orlando.

That’s 44 years of service. Most people would call that a full career. Rose apparently called it a warm-up.

Galatians 6:9 seems to describe Rose: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Rose received the memo on that one!

Retirement Never Stood a Chance Against This Rose

Before retiring, Rose made herself one promise — keep helping people. She’s kept it. About four years ago she founded “Love Thy Neighbor”, a 501(c)(3) that collects food, clothing, furniture, and other essentials and gets them to people who need them. Everything comes with one very important word attached: FREE.

Rose runs donations out of storage units and organizes events like Spring Fest and Fall Fest. She’s also at Gateway most Thursday afternoons for lunch handouts, and again Saturday mornings — because apparently five days a week of volunteering felt like slacking. If there’s a way to get something useful from someone who has too much of it to someone who doesn’t have enough, Rose will find it. Rose doesn’t just talk about helping. She shows up.

Old furniture? She’s interested. A closet of clothes you haven’t touched since the Obama administration? She probably knows someone who needs them. Extra food? Bring it on. If you’ve been telling yourself “someday I’ll do something with that,” someday has arrived. Just call Rose.

Rose: Thorns Optional, Casseroles Mandatory and Getting the Word Out!

There’s one snag in this world of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and whatever app launches before I finish this sentence: Rose doesn’t use social media. That’s where Gateway To Hope Ministries comes in — we post her events at gatewaytohopeministries.com so the community knows where to donate and where to turn for help. Rose handles the helping; we handle the hashtags. Occasionally, technology earns its keep.

Everything’s Coming Up Rose!

Here’s to Rose — soldier, postal worker, volunteer, charity founder, and friend to her neighbors. Thanks for the reminder that purpose is usually just one person deciding to help another.

And if you’ve got a spare items around the house, a closet of forgotten clothes, or food to share — you know who to call.

Rose is still on the job. Retirement, it seems, will have to wait its turn…