Last time I did this I bought Harry & David Chocolate
Truffles. We put three in a little plastic see thru bag tied a ribbon around it
and attached a saying from our prophet about the goodness of women in the
world. A couple of High Priests stood by the back doors after sacrament meeting
and handed the little bags to each woman as she left. I heard it was well
received.
I thought I’d do the same thing this year but then I heard
the Relief Society was going to pass out truffles- homemade truffles- to the
women. The year before the women received live Basil plants. That made sense to
pass out something that would be useful. Being the uncreative gift giver that I
am I resorted to giving out flowers. I
didn’t know much about flowers so I felt impressed to talk to Larry Carpenter,
who’s a hobby farmer, and knows a lot about flora. As we talked he mentioned he
had some little plastic pots I could transfer the plants into. Since I had a
budget I needed to keep under my first impression was to buy these four packs
of pansies, separate them out and put one flower in a container. This would
keep me well under budget. So I stopped off at Home Depot and, after surveying
the flower racks, picked out some pansies, violas and a few marigolds.
It had been raining all week but every morning I would take
the flowers out of the garage and put them in the back yard so they could be
exposed to whatever sunshine that poked through. I watered them if it didn’t
rain enough that day then in the evening I’d carry the trays back into the
garage.
Saturday morning I spent several hours in the rain washing
out the plastic pots and transferring the flowers from the four packs. I had
determined earlier that one flower didn’t seem to be enough which caused a
second trip to Home Depot. I decided to
put two in each of the small pots. Some went in easily but others, like the
pansies, had large root systems and it took some effort to separate them out of
their original pot then twist, turn and pack the two flowers into their new
container. I watered each again and left
them outside that afternoon.
I just prayed that they would still be alive Sunday morning. Frankly, my feeling was these
flowers only needed to stay green and healthy looking until 4:00 Sunday
afternoon. After that they were out of my hands and it would no longer be my
responsibility.
Sunday morning, Mother’s Day, I got up at sunrise, dressed
in my walking sweats and went outside. It was a beautiful morning, not a cloud
to block the warm sun’s rays. I quickly moved the flowers out of the garage and
put them in our driveway so they could soak up as much sunlight as possible before
locking them in the trunk to take them to church.
The viola’s were looking droopy, the pansies’s flowers were folded and
bent but the marigolds stood straight and tall. I wished I’d just bought all
marigolds. I shifted the plants in the trays then looked at the sun’s position,
estimated what area of the driveway would be sunniest longest then moved the
trays accordingly. A couple of the trays had three rows of flowers. I was
concerned the flowers in the middle row wouldn’t receive as much sun so I
pulled each of these out and placed them individually on the cement.
As I began to pull these small plastic pots out I noticed
how dirty the outside of each pot had gotten. Repotting the flowers hadn’t been
easy and with the cold and rain I’d been in a hurry to get the job done. Now,
as I looked upon the gold, orange, yellow, violet blue flowers spaced randomly
on the driveway, basking in the sun, I
thought about the women who would be receiving the flowers today and reflected that none would want to have to
carry a dirty pot around. I then went back into the garage and picked up one of
our old spare towels we use as rags, took it into the kitchen and placed it in
the sink and soaked it with hot water. I rang out the excess water then went
back to the flowers.
Picking the first pot
up I carefully wiped the dirt from each side and the bottom. It brought back
some memories of wiping the faces of my children with a wash rag after they had
eaten. I smiled and paused for a moment,
basking in the reflection. Then, looking
closer at each plant more closely, I noticed
a few yellowing or bug bitten leaves which I pulled from the stems. I went
through this same process for each potted flower, picking it up and gently wiping
the dirt, pulling any yellowing leaves or dead flowers, and making each one as
presentable as I could.
As I did so I began to think of the significance of giving a
flower on Mother’s Day. A flower or plant doesn’t need constant watching over
and care but it does need help in order to survive. It needs planted in good fertilized
soil, in an area that will receive the amount of sunlight and water it needs to
survive. It occasionally will need dead flowers and leaves plucked and weeded.
Strangely, as I worked, I became filled with compassion, not
only toward the care of these flowers but also to the women who would be
receiving them. I didn’t want any woman in the Ward to feel they received an
inferior plant. The flowers are different, some in full bloom, some need some
time and patience for the plant to come to full flower. They are different
colors and have varied needs. Some have
lots of room for roots to take hold while others in the smaller pots are in an
area that seems limiting. I even changed one of the pots I noticed had a crack.
I didn’t want a sister in the ward to feel they were undeserving or had to
settle for an inferior gift.
I was pleased the flowers were still alive and looking good
after the day some were repotted, even though I’d been a little rough on some
of them. I remembered that today, I am alive and looking pretty good, even
after life had been a little rough lately. Today, I learned from a flower, about Heavenly
Fathers tenderness and compassion for each of us, especially His daughters. I think these flowers might just be a great
tribute.
No comments:
Post a Comment