In St. Joseph, Minnesota, there is a beautiful farm that brings sunshine, flowers, and happiness to people from all over.

But more than that, is the story of hope and resilience that this beautiful location brings to others, now available in a new memoir called "Flowers Bloom Anyway."

SUNNY MARY MEADOW

Liz and (now late husband) Josh Fiedler bought his family farm in 2016 when it became for sale. They knew they wanted to someday raise a family there and find some way to farm. They weren’t sure what sector of ag they would be pursuing. At the time, Liz was in nurse practitioner school, and Josh was a sales team leader at Compeer Financial. They welcomed their first daughter in 2017, and Liz graduated in 2019 as a nurse practitioner.

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THE ORIGINAL 'ROADSIDE STAND'

In the summer of 2020, they found they had a lot of time on their hands. Liz had a huge cut flower garden and wanted to do something kind for the isolated nursing home residents in the area after her grandma passed away without being able to have visitors in June 2020.

So she started a Roadside Stand, and I remember having her on my show talking about it, as well as stopping by and visiting Liz and her daughter, before picking up some goods from the stand. The stand had flowers, a variety of homemade goods available...including canned goods, and I believe spaghetti sauce.

For every flower bouquet that Liz sold, she also donated one to a local nursing home whiche ended up being over 200 in total that year. They also did a lot of canning and cottage food preparation at that time. They had big dreams after year 1 for the years to come.


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TRAGEDY STRIKES IN DECEMBER 2020

In December of 2020, her husband Josh died suddenly of a heart attack while running on the treadmill.

The last conversation Liz had with Josh was that she thought she might be pregnant, but it was too early to tell. He was very excited about the news. She never heard from Josh again.

Liz found out that she was indeed pregnant with their second child the day after the funeral.

Sunny Mary Meadow was named in memory of Mary, Josh’s mom, who passed in 2010, and thrives in honor of the original dream that Josh & Liz first started working toward.

JOURNALING  JOURNALING AND MORE JOURNALING

When Liz lost Josh, she started journaling to remember everything she could about him. She couldn't force herself to be happy, but she knew she had a daughter and a new life inside her, and she fought to keep working towards that happiness, hoping someday she would find it.

FAST FORWARD TO HAPPINESS: FINDING A WAY

A lot has happened since that time. Liz is now married to Brent, who was affectionately known as 'The Flower Farmer Fiance' in the beginning. Now they work on the farm together, raising their daughters Vidalia and Davie, allowing them to grow up on the farm that Josh always hoped to raise his children on.

'FLOWERS BLOOM ANYWAY' - AVAILABLE TODAY!

And now, all that journaling has paid off. Liz took those words written in her grief and turned it into a book called "Flowers Bloom Anyway," about unexpected loss, solo motherhood, rural grit, stubborn hope, and the kind of faith people don’t earn in a church pew but in the aftermath.

If you have ever wondered how to keep going when everything has changed, Liz is hoping that you'll find those answers through her story of heartbreak and healing, and how she turned loss into a thriving life and a million-dollar enterprise.

The book is available TODAY! You can get your author-signed books at St. Cloud Barnes & Noble, or you can find it by clicking HERE now. Liz is also doing several book signings in various locations over the next few months, and you can find all of those by clicking HERE.

SUNNY MARY MEADOW FARM TODAY

Today, Sunny Mary Meadow Farm has grown into a thriving business, one that's basis is all about the things that matter in life: love, family, happiness, and joy.

They have a new BLOOM ROOM, which can be rented year-round for bridal showers, corporate events,  family reunions, workshops, and other gatherings of up to 100 people.

To learn more about Sunny Mary Meadow Farm, click HERE.

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