gifts

Along with several gifts only a mother could love(a broken ladybug made in art class, patchouli soap made in spectra and flavor infused toothpicks), I received an unexpected gift from my own mom. Gardening was my mother's gift. I spent many afternoons helping get beds ready and dead-heading perennials so they would continue to bloom. Though I didn't inherit her gift for gardening, I do love flowers and do the best I can with what I have. About 6 years ago we were in Chicago and went to see some old neighbors on the street where I grew up. My mom's close friend Diane brought me into her back yard and dug up two rose bushes(one for me, one for Liz). They were rose bushes she had transplanted from my mother's garden after my father had moved but before our house was torn down. What a thoughtful gesture from someone who loved my mother dearly. When I awoke this morning, it had just started to bloom. It was a perfect reminder that my mom is all around me if I'll just open my eyes to see her.