Flower crowns are all the rage lately. I don’t just mean the Snapchat fliter—though that has certainly taken the world by storm too (that dewy glow and the sparkle it adds to your eye are nice touches). I remember not too long ago believing that flower crowns were only for the self-proclaimed “hippies” of the world—they’re called flower children for a reason, right? Flower crowns were for the 20-somethings that spent weeks at a time at music festivals, spinning around in an interpretive dance of sorts, high on life or something stronger. I stayed away from flower crowns for this reason—I didn’t identify as a hippie, the bohemian look wasn’t my style, I have never been to a music festival, and when I run around barefoot I usually hurt myself.
And then I wore one. A year or two ago probably. I don’t remember where I was or which specific blooms I chose to tuck into my hair that sometimes looks golden, when the sun hits it just right. What I do remember is that it made me feel a little bit like a princess. It made me feel beautiful during a time when my self-confidence was at an all-time low. It made me feel like a woman that was feminine, and delicate, and pretty, but also strong and confident and unashamed.
All this to say, I’m on team flower crown now. If you’ve never worn one, go to your local florist right now and start creating. They’re transformative.
This month, my team is in Nepal. I’ve dreamed of this month for a long time and it hasn’t let me down. My team is partnered with an incredible ministry whose primary goal is simply to love the people here, and while that may seem a little vague it has manifested itself in some amazing ways. Many nights, we go out into the town late at night and make our way to the numerous dance bars that line the streets. When we get there, we buy a tea or a soda and take a seat on one of the couches in front of the stage. When the girls come off stage, wearing little clothing, lots of makeup, and forced smiles, we invite them to sit with us. We may buy them a tea or a soda as a tangible way of “buying their time,” so that nobody else can. And then we talk. There is often a language barrier, but with the help of our Nepali friends we can talk about anything and everything—their families, their nail color, their ambitions—anything to build a friendship. And thats it, really. At the end of the night, we go our separate ways—though I don’t know what that means for those girls. The goal is to help build relationships with these women outside of the bars by meeting them for coffee or something (coffee dates are universal, I think), and loving them and helping to shape their identity into what it truly is—a beautiful daughter and sister, instead of another “worker at a dance bar.”
Last week held my favorite day of the month so far. We called it The Beauty Project. The ministry had been handing out invitations at the dance bars for days, and we decorated the guest house where we’re staying to be a stunning and comfortable place, with different stations set up for painting nails, doing makeup, getting massages, and you guessed it—making flower crowns.
Slowly, women began trickling in, of all ages and from all different backgrounds. They were certainly a little hesitant at first, as is natural when you show up to a party with a bunch of people you don’t know very well. We greeted each girl with a hug and a genuine joy to see them.
Eventually, most of the girls made their way cautiously over to the rickety table where we had laid out all the fresh, long stemmed flowers, of every size and color. Few of us had ever made flower crowns before, so we began to laugh as we struggled to wire the pieces together, being careful to not drop any leaves, each girl thoughtfully choosing which blooms she wanted to adorn herself with.
At one point, as the shadows were getting longer in the day, I took a minute to stop and look around. The place was so colorful. Laughter rang through the air. Every single girl, whether she was 2 years old or 72 years old, wore a crown of flowers on her head. And more importantly, each girl was glowing—glowing with the radiance of joy and love and fellowship. It was so evident to me that the beauty they were feeling on the outside, with the flowers and nail polish and lipstick, was slowly seeping into every bit of their being. For each girl, that beauty was making its way into her bones and ravishing her soul. Rays of light were permeating the dark places. I could see it happening to them because I’ve felt it before, too.
It’s incredible to me how something as simple and easy as putting a crown of flowers on someone and loving them where they’re at can so completely transform the way they view themselves. And really, it’s not about the flower crown itself, but instead letting women know that they are so worth loving. They are worthy of feeling beautiful. They are worthy of being respected. Jesus even found them worth giving His life for.
It was an amazing day. Now, each time I wear flowers in my hair, I will think back to these strong women and how on this day in November, I got to witness them burst open and begin to radiate. Of course, it wasn’t the flower crowns that brought this light forth—it was in them all along. It’s in each of us really, simply waiting to come out.
We are women, hear us roar.
