Hear me. I love flowers. I can’t pick a favorite. I love them all and am beyond delighted when someone gives me a fresh ones! And, of course, roses hold a special place. My son had no idea about mom’s roses. I’ve never really shared that story. And I know you will say that roses are pretty typical at a florist for Mother’s Day, but if you know me, you know I don’t believe in coincidence.
The relationship I had with my mom was very special and so is the relationship I have with my son. Mom had a way of teaching me in small, quiet gestures.
She always stopped to admire beautiful flowers. She was the ultimate caregiver and if you were the recipient of that care, it stayed with you forever. She always knew when you needed a hug or your favorite food. She found joy in the simplest of things.
As a mom, I often worry if I’m teaching my son those same lessons. Is it getting through?
Then I saw him standing there with this beautiful bouquet of roses and my heart swelled with happiness. As I reflected on my amazing young man I remembered all the times he found the person that needed a hug. Or when he has stopped me to point out something lovely he was seeing that I had missed. The times he quietly gave a friend the thing they needed most when they were struggling. The love and caring and attentiveness was in his heart.
And I realized maybe that’s how maternal love works.
Not through perfection.
Not through grand speeches.
But through small, quiet moments of care that leave an imprint on the people we love.
A softness.
A way of noticing.
A willingness to nurture.
I think this kind of love can and does live in all of us, even our sons. They learn it by being loved.
And then, one day, they reflect it back to us.
That moment with the roses was so special because it reminded me that love doesn’t disappear.
Sometimes it just changes form.
Sometimes it becomes a memory.
Sometimes instinct.
Sometimes tradition.
Sometimes a rose bush that refuses to die.
And sometimes…
it looks like a grocery store bouquet held in the hands of someone you helped raise.
Reflections
- What small thing reminds you of someone you love deeply?
- What quiet lessons did you learn from the people who cared for you?
- Have you ever caught yourself repeating a gesture, phrase, or habit from someone who shaped you?
- How do you show love in everyday moments?
- Where have you seen love reflected back to you through someone you helped raise or care for?
Gentle Practice
Today, take a moment to notice the small inheritances of love in your life.
- Maybe it’s a recipe you make without thinking.
- A flower you always stop to admire.
- A way you comfort people.
- A habit that came from someone you miss.
- A softness you didn’t realize you carried forward. Instead of brushing past it, pause long enough to honor it.
- Love often leaves traces long after the moment itself has passed. And sometimes the people we love most continue blooming through us in ways we never expected.
