This is a Mother’s Day story about bluets and all those other “things” that aren’t really “things.” I don’t want fancy or expensive presents as an expression of my daughters’ love on Mother’s Day. I want my daughters to be kind, compassionate, courageous, caring, and joyful human beings and to spend time with me when they can. Because in the end, as this story demonstrates, it really is the simple things that are remembered all these many years later. I bet many others would agree with this. (Originally posted April 19, 2017.)
Of all the flowers in my garden, these sweet bluets (Houstonia caerulea) rank way up on my favorites list. There’s a reason for this simple spring ephemeral’s prominent place in my garden and heart. When my youngest daughter was about seven years old, she went down to the little stream by our house and dug a clump of these to give me for Mother’s Day. I saw her trudging up the trail carrying a cumbersome red bucket, arms pulled down by the weight of it, skinny legs struggling step by step. She didn’t know I was watching, but I was that mother that always watched as her children thought they played freely outside. I wanted them to know the freedom of a feral childhood like I had experienced, but I also wanted them to be safe, this was a different time and place.
But, I digress.
She made her way…
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Giving Voice to My Astonishment 
So beautiful. It left me teary-eyed. It also reminded me that I need to finish Maggie Nelson’s Bluets. Something caused me to stop and then I forgot to go back to it!
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Thanks, Luanne. I haven’t read Nelson’s Bluets. Maybe I should add it to my leaning towers of to-be-reads?
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It’s such a seminal text for lyrical prose, creative nonfiction, and flash-type nonfiction (although it’s not really flash) that I think it’s really important to read if you like the genre. I added your blog to my blogroll :).
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So, yes–I need to read Bluets! Thanks for adding me. Your comment reminded me that I have a ‘Blogs I Follow’ widget that I just noticed the other day. WordPress Happiness Engineers helped me set up a Blog page tab and we must have added it then. I need to make sure my favorite blogs are on there. I also need to updated my entire blog. So much to do and learn on here. I am so delighted that Pauline introduced me to your blog! And my daughter said the delivery date on my (your) poetry books is tomorrow. I can’t wait to read them:)
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Awesome story and memory. I was once that little girl digging flowers for my Mom too. Probably why I love gardening so much today.
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Thank you. I think love of gardening, as well as other interests/passions, does begin in childhood. I remember gardening with my grandmother and my dad. My mom canned/preserved the harvest, and I’m sorry I wasn’t more involved in that aspect of gardening.
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Sweet and touching story Cheryl. Beautiful flowers.
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Thank you, Shobhna.
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Lovely!
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Thank you, Donna:)
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