At some point, my boys began picking dandelions, and any other colorful weed they come across. Then, they run to me with a huge smile declaring, “I picked a flower for you, Momma.” They once spent 20 minutes picking all of the dandelions in the backyard. On another occasion, my oldest sat down in the middle of soccer practice to pick me flowers, and my youngest once drove his power tractor around the front yard stopping every so often to get off and pick dandelions for me.
Why I Love This
I don’t remember the first time this happened, but it has been going on for years. I always respond with a huge smile and a happy “Thank you.” In that moment, I am thinking how sweet they are to see a “flower” and think of me, and how thankful I am for them and these moments we are sharing.
Sometimes, these flowers end up in vases around the house. Occasionally, I lay them down and forget to do anything else with them. I have a display of dried flowers on the dash of my car that my youngest is always adding to. Each time I get in the car I see them and think of my precious boys.
Last spring on a pretty day, the yard was completely filled with “flowers” and the boys brought me so many that we had two vases and two cups of dandelions displayed, between the mantle and the kitchen table. I also pulled out my nature journal and drew some of the bouquet they had collected for me. Now I will always have the flowers the boys picked for me when they were little.
Beauty in the Weeds
Recently, after returning from a Kids Market run, I found my family, in-laws included, in the back yard sitting by the fire. Upon sitting down to relax, my 6 year old darted across the yard, squatted down to pluck a dandelion, and ran over to me … “For you Momma,” he exclaimed. What an awesome welcome home!
I do not know how long these exchanges will continue, but I hope they don’t end anytime soon. I hope that my boys continue to see the beauty in the weeds. Though I don’t remember the first time my oldest picked me a weed and called it a flower, I am thankful that in that moment, I chose to see the beauty. Had I not, had I said “Oh Baby, that’s just a weed”, think of all the moments of joy I would have missed.
Maybe you aren’t the dandelion-in-a-vase kind of girl…
For you, maybe it’s the five minutes he wants to lie with you in the morning before running off to play Legos, or the kisses she blows you when she jumps out of the car at school. Whatever it is, these simple, everyday moments are full of joy and are what you grasp onto and what keeps you going when life gets hard.
