Hope floats

Every New Year's Day, I look forward to watching the Rose Parade. This year is different..

This year, I’m taking my mother to see it in person. It’s been a “must do” on her bucket list since she watched it on a massive black-and-white console TV as a little girl.

The parade has come a long way since its start in 1890. Today, 700,000 people line the streets. Sixty million people watch worldwide.

We tune in to see the beauty. The color. The pageantry. The magic.

We rarely see what it takes to build those floats.

Yesterday, I got an insider's view—a preview of fourteen floats as they were being built.

It was sensory overload. Thousands of vibrant flowers blooming all at once. The air was thick with the sweet, earthy fragrance of fresh petals and damp moss.

Every float must be covered entirely in real plant material.  Petals. Seeds. Bark. Leaves. Spices. Fruit.

Some floats use 100,000 to 200,000 flowers.

Every single one is placed by hand, often glued on one petal at a time.

Some materials are so fragile that they must be applied with toothpicks and tweezers.

Building a float takes a village. Hundreds of volunteers return year after year. Core teams work 10-12 hour days in the days leading up to the parade. Many work overnight in the final week.

It's exhausting. It's meticulous.

It's an act of devotion.

Timing is everything. Fresh flowers can only be applied in the last 2-3 days, so they're perfect on parade day.

Behind the scenes are hidden mechanics. Moving parts. Water features. Sound systems. All engineered to work flawlessly under pressure.

The floats are judged intensely on theme, detail, engineering, floral design, and creativity.

Some cost up to $1 million.

As I took all of this in, it hit me.

Motherhood is built the same way.

No shortcuts.

So much invisible work.

Tiny, repetitive efforts that don't look like much until they add up to something extraordinary.

Timing is everything.

There are countless moving parts.

The cost can be tremendous. Financial. Mental. Emotional. Spiritual.

And sometimes a village is needed to make it happen.

So much of the process happens under pressure and scrutiny—both internal and external—and there is often judgment.

The culmination comes on parade day—or when you're holding that baby in your arms.

But the beauty isn't in the applause.

It's in the love, the planning, the patience, and the devotion no one sees.

Like those magnificent floats, your journey into motherhood is a work of art.

Your masterpiece.

One float drew me in—sponsored by Apple TV. Their message stood out: “Yes You Can”.

This is a message we all need to hear going into 2026, especially hopeful mothers who are struggling to make their dream come true.

Next week, I'll share details on a new educational series to help women build their own masterpieces. Message me for a sneak peek.

In the meantime, I wish you a fantastic start to 2026.

#hopefloats
#roseparade
#cherischoice