The Rose Center for Learning got its name by joining two distinct words. Years ago, Dr. Jenn lived in a valley of Massachusetts that was particularly battered by challenging weather, especially in winter when the snow seemed to accumulate at a greater rate than the rest of New England. Ice was often an issue, and there were ice storms that took out some of the loveliest trees in the area. Japanese Beatles all but demolished the tree population during one bad year. Storms, tornadoes and floods had a solid history in the years past as well. But there was one bush that survived all of it, and that was a set of rose bushes that had been planted in 1934. Those bushes saw it all, everything Mother Nature could throw their way, and yet they rose (see what I did there...) above it all. Despite a lot of house and neighborhood construction, many different owners (surely not all of them green thumbs, and some with children playing all around)... the bushes survived and continued to produce the most beautiful roses. We can't imagine a better symbol of the heartiness, strength, and dogged determination that lives in people. We all struggle with different things at different times, and we often need help from others, but we are built to be survivors, just like that little rose bush. No matter what life throws at us, with the right tools we can bloom.