Daylily...

If I had had one of these blooming in my yard I would have taken a stem to my mother for Mother's Day.  We always seemed to have them around when I was growing up - daylillies.  Almost like roses in the infinite variety of colors, types of blooms,  rarity,etc.  I remember seeing every color from lemony yellow, to deep dark burgundy/almost brown, with various colored throats, and with or without ruffly petals.

Who needed cut flowers when one could go in the backyard and harvest one or two of these, maybe some hibiscus blossoms, a tad of shrimp plant blooms, and maybe a handful of wood fern to finish off a lovely bouquet?  I guess that would be the origin of my love of  unstructured, slightly messy bundles of flowers.

As we had lunch with her today, she told a story she had been preparing all week for that "together" time.  I know that at age 96, she sometimes thinks of each "holiday" in terms of it possibly being her last, and so philosophy is always part of the menu.  Mother's Day is as good a time for that as any - we all have to have had a mother, and the success of that relationship has a profound effect on us.

This week, my younger son finished his community college training, and tomorrow he will set off to work with the skills that make him newly independent.  There are still things to be learned, more courses to take - but that's true for all of us if we want to keep growing.  But, it is another end of a mothering era for me.  Three very capable young adults in the world.  If I want  to wax philosophical as my mom would, I've been quite blessed.  I hope they have too.