She always loved flowers
In the photo on my desk, my son Joe was 9 years old, wearing a baseball cap twisted backwards and baggy old hand-me-down jeans. Flip flops finished his scruffy-kid look. In his hands, he clutched a bouquet of red camellias picked from the neighbor’s yard. There was a soft almost embarrassed smile on his face.
There’s nothing sweeter than a little boy who picks flowers for his mother, and I did what mothers are supposed to do. I found a beautiful vase and made a big deal about arranging them and displaying the bouquet in a place of honor. When he brought me flowers, it was one time he’d still allow me to cuddle and kiss him without much fuss. Flowers in exchange for a kiss. It was a good deal for us both.
If a child hears, “That’s just a bunch of old weeds, throw them out!” they’ll hesitate to give again. But when we welcome their basic blossoms with honor, we are nurturing a generous person. Don’t we need more of those?
When my friend discovered she and her husband were expecting a baby boy, I thought of all the bouquets she’d receive over the next few years and I knew I had to find the perfect bud vase for her. I carefully wrapped it and wrote this note to tuck inside:
She Always Loved Flowers
The vase looks fragile but will hold
wild roadside flowers and
common weeds
of every scraggly kind.
Flowers picked from the neighbor’s yard
and blossoms snitched from the church altar
while you turned your back for one second
will look like precious jewels.
Presented with dirty, sticky hands,
twinkling eyes and a
mischievous grin,
he’ll hand you love on stems.
A fistful of weeds will say, “I’m sorry”
wild violets will explain, “I love you”
daisies will shout, “I need your attention”
and a camellia begs, “will you hold me?”
By placing his flower in a special vase,
you’ll be telling him how much he’s valued.
To Mom, it’s not just some old weed
It’s a piece of his heart.
Small things are important
just like him, and
there’s a reason to celebrate
everything God has made
The weeds and flowers
Thorns, vines and
leaves may not be perfect
but he is.
The vase looks valuable but
what it holds is
a piece of his heart
which is priceless.
Finding value in the common
Will help him grow a heart for others.
And someday, he’ll take this vase to his house and say, “my mother always loved it when I brought her flowers.”
This story first appeared in AL.com newspapers in Mobile, Birmingham and Huntsville
Leslie Anne, what a precious post. We were married thirteen years before we had our only child, a son. We were told we would never have children, but God’s timetable and plans are perfect. I am so happy for your friend. Your gift will bring sweet tears.
Thank you Pam. This couple will be wonderful parents and their son is already cherished. Good to hear from you!
Leslie Anne, what a precious post. We were married thirteen years before we had our only child, a son. We were told we would never have children, but God’s timetable and plans are perfect. I am so happy for your friend. Your gift will bring sweet tears.
Thank you Pam. This couple will be wonderful parents and their son is already cherished. Good to hear from you!
Such a sweet article. There is a special bond between a mom and her son. This reminded me of a girl I worked with for years. She had three sons. She passed away my last year of work and it was just awful…such a happy person each day at work. At her funeral it was mentioned she gave teacups to as gifts to boy moms to remind them to slow down and enjoy their coffee/tea in a pretty cup as most of their lives would be boy things.
Thanks so much Sandy. This is a great story and I’m sure I would have loved your friend. What a great attitude.
Such a sweet article. There is a special bond between a mom and her son. This reminded me of a girl I worked with for years. She had three sons. She passed away my last year of work and it was just awful…such a happy person each day at work. At her funeral it was mentioned she gave teacups to as gifts to boy moms to remind them to slow down and enjoy their coffee/tea in a pretty cup as most of their lives would be boy things.
Thanks so much Sandy. This is a great story and I’m sure I would have loved your friend. What a great attitude.
This is my favorite post of yours, Leslie Anne (until next time)! I love your free verse. I can just picture those adorable little boys bringing their beautiful mother fresh picked flowers!
Thank you Peggy. For some reason, it was excluded from today’s printed newspaper, so I’m glad you found it here. Thanks for reading, and I’m sure your girls did the same thing for their sweet mother!
This is my favorite post of yours, Leslie Anne (until next time)! I love your free verse. I can just picture those adorable little boys bringing their beautiful mother fresh picked flowers!
Thank you Peggy. For some reason, it was excluded from today’s printed newspaper, so I’m glad you found it here. Thanks for reading, and I’m sure your girls did the same thing for their sweet mother!
This makes me cry!! Nothing sweeter than a little boy!
Oh, I hope they were good tears! Thanks for reading.
This makes me cry!! Nothing sweeter than a little boy!
Oh, I hope they were good tears! Thanks for reading.
This is so precious, I love it Leslie Anne. Lucky are the women who marry the sons you have raised to be kind and thoughtful. Family lore has it that I picked tulips for my mother from our grumpiest neighbor’s yard, and we had to go hand-in-hand to apologize.
Hi Roxanne! Thanks so much for the kind thoughts, and I love your tulip story. I hope the neighbor’s heart was softened by your sweetness. Who could be mean to a flower picking child?
This is so precious, I love it Leslie Anne. Lucky are the women who marry the sons you have raised to be kind and thoughtful. Family lore has it that I picked tulips for my mother from our grumpiest neighbor’s yard, and we had to go hand-in-hand to apologize.
Hi Roxanne! Thanks so much for the kind thoughts, and I love your tulip story. I hope the neighbor’s heart was softened by your sweetness. Who could be mean to a flower picking child?
Leslie Anne, what a sweet post! This is such a good reminder to all of us that every single word we say and everything we do either builds up our children or not. It makes them who they are.
Your friends are so blessed by you, you have given such a wonderful gift to this new mom, she will cherish every single bouquet or single flower. I love it!
xo Lidy
Thanks so much Lidy. You are right about children remembering our words.
Leslie Anne, what a sweet post! This is such a good reminder to all of us that every single word we say and everything we do either builds up our children or not. It makes them who they are.
Your friends are so blessed by you, you have given such a wonderful gift to this new mom, she will cherish every single bouquet or single flower. I love it!
xo Lidy
Thanks so much Lidy. You are right about children remembering our words.