A Bond Made of Flowers

     I can almost remember the exact smell of the beautiful flowers my mother and I gently carried to the backyard. This memory still sits in the back of my mind; a memory of love and compassion. When I was a little girl, around 7 or 8, one of my favorite activities to do was to help my mom with her gardening. Every morning, you could see her outside trimming, planting, or digging up dirt out in the yard. It was her hobby and her passion.
    
    I loved standing at the window and glaring through the glass at each movement she would make with the individual flowers. The colors in particular really stood out to me. The pink, blue, purple, and bright yellow petals sitting in the sunlight.

     With difficulties at home and busy schedules, nothing made me more satisfied than being outside with my mom accompanying her with these lovely plants.  Especially at a young age and being the youngest of three girls, I had to share my quality time with her. My two older sisters were in high school and always had something going on. Now I am certainly a daddy’s girl, but I love my mom more than anything and the time spent with her gardening sure was special. I believe this was a bond we shared together and what started a sort of friendship that has long lasted ever since.
    
     I have a sweet picture of my mom handing me a pot to place one of my flowers in and I am staring up at her with big green eyes and a giant smile spread across my face. This is what made me feel like everything was going to be okay in life. Something as simple as gardening gave me happiness and the feeling of love and gratefulness. Gratefulness to have a mother and to be able to spend time with her like this.

Wanda Carter, Aka best mom

     Here I have a photo of my precious mother. I love her so much and she inspires me more and more each day. I will never forget those hot days outside planting in my little yellow sundress with my curly hair falling down my back. I loved sharing time with this amazing woman and these memories will forever be with me. Spending time with her and those flowers meant the world to me and it reminded me of the beauty of nature and the beauty of a love between a mother and a daughter.

Purple Petunia

     This memory has stuck with me through all of the years because it was a time where I was truly and fully happy. I always say “Take me back to when I was little” because things were much simpler and life seemed to be full of imagination and curiosity. Today, my mother and I still remain close and share some of the same hobbies. She still loves to garden and I am certain that she should be considered a professional at it. I’m not much of a plant person anymore, but I catch myself watching my mother plant flowers and dig up dirt, reminding me of back when I was little.