My mother has a green thumb. All my growing up years, she planted and planted and planted. Flowers, mostly. Every home we lived in (which were many) we left much lovelier than we found, thanks to her plant proclivities.
I remember more than one errand trip that took a tangent when she spotted something lovely growing in the yard of a perfect stranger. She thought nothing of pulling into their driveway, knocking on their door, and telling them how gorgeous she thought their landscape choices were. Did they know the name of the plant? What kind of growing conditions did it like best? And just like that, two strangers were talking like old friends. More often than not, the pleased homeowner offered my mother some portion to take home. And so, for the price of a few minutes and a sincere compliment, my mom took home yet another lovely thing to beautify her home and yard.
Flower power, indeed.
Through all of this, I learned the names and blooming seasons of so many flowers. And this time of year, when everything is in mad, gorgeous bloom, I can drive through town & country, and name what I see. I love that.
I am grateful for my mother, who worked so hard for her entire adult life to make the world around her more beautiful than she found it. I am grateful that she was never too shy to pay a compliment or ask a question, and never too proud to accept a gift from a fellow flower lover. I am grateful that - while I'm not so skilled at landscaping and loving plants into verdant bloom - I can point out lovely flowers and shrubs and trees to my own children and tell them what we're looking at. I am grateful that, as we go places together, I can point out the hyacinths, the forsythia, the redbuds, the lilacs, and we can all ooh! and aah! together. I am grateful for the glorious rush of color and beauty that is Spring.
What are you blessed with today?
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