What a thought: to run in the family. Imagine that the flowers loved by the women of the family grow in my backyard because I love them, too. Imagine the continuation of likes and similarities.
Once, when my son was in High School, we attended the Mother Son Brunch. I was surrounded by blondes with fake hair, fake eyelashes, fake tits, and fake nails. They were talking about what their sons would be after graduation.
“And what would you like to be?” one of them asked my son.
“A mercenary,” he replied.
He wasn’t kidding. For the longest time he wanted to work for Blackwater, an American private military contractor now known as Constellis.
There was a long pause. How do you respond to someone who wants to be a hit man? But, inside I smiled. Not because I condone killing, but because my son is, after all, like me. Neither one of us wants to fit inside a box. Be easily defined. Color in the lines.
May you find the connection you need to the people in your life. And, to those who are mothers, a very Happy Mother’s Day.
(Find more Sunday Salon posts here.)
A neighbor greeted me when I was out walking today. He gestured to me to walk closer, and when I did, out of the blue, he gave me a Cape Jasmine flower. It was my mother's favorite flower, though he did not know that. The scent from the flower which I've placed in a glass is so lovely.
ReplyDeleteI shall work to find connections to the people in my life. Thank you for the reminder.
Oh, what a serendipitous moment to receive such a gift on Mother’s Day! I love the little gestures that people do, which are often bigger than they’ll
Deleteever know.
I also love lily of the valley as do my family members. I love the flowers that connect us with earlier generations or those we’ve come to love through travel.
ReplyDeleteDon’t you love how the scent, or appearance, of certain things can bring an instant connection? I like how you said “earlier generations”, as somehow, lily of the valley seems like an “antique” flower to me. Maybe just that it has been so appreciated for wich a long time.
DeleteMy Mom took a cutting from her mother's peony in Indiana and planted it in Arkansas. The lady who bought my mom's house in Arkansas sent me a picture of one of this year's blooms.
ReplyDeleteA mercenary!!!! Well, somebody's gotta do it so, why not your son, right? And it probably pays well, one gets to travel a lot, and he'd never be bored!
I love how that peony traveled from one state to another, and that you even received a photograph of it from a caring buyer.
DeleteThankfully, my son is NOT a mercenary, but he did become a Marine and served for several years. What about my mothering said be a soldier?! 😌
What does your son do now?
ReplyDeleteNow, thank the Lord, literally, he is a Teller Supervisor in a bank. Hopefully out of harm’s way! What a good question to ask.
DeleteI know my mom loves peonies, but I guess I don't know what her favorite flower is. Thanks for the inspiration to ask more questions while I can! Happy Mother's Day to you, Meredith!
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing the photos of her over the years, and the latest one of her at 92 (I believe). Our mothers surely have been blessed with long life; mine is 89 and looks better than I ever will. She has no tummy whatsoever! Anyway, I hope your day was lovely!!
DeleteI don't think my mother had a favorite flower, but my grandparents had many, many roses. So, so lovely. Hope you had a Happy Mother's Day. We had family over late yesterday afternoon and enjoyed time together.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love roses, too. I am not a gardener in any way, but I certainly enjoy the garden my husband creates, and the flowers from others’ gardens. So glad you had time with your family yesterday.
DeleteYour story reminds me of the mother's day preschool event when I got to see artwork showing that my daughter wanted to grow up to be a paleontologist (she knew the word) and most of the other little girls said they wanted to grow up to be a mommy
ReplyDeleteImagine her having such a vocabulary! I love our precocious children, who are actually wiser than most. 😉
DeleteMy mom loves birds of paradise and gardenias. I love sunflowers and hydrangeas. I'm not sure what my grandmother liked :) Wishing you a lovely Mother's Day my dear friend. And also, I have to say that this post was timely - I just read something about this subject of familial/generational likes/dislikes/traumas/etc. There was also a section about being taught to fit into boxes by society and how we realize we want out of the box. So much food for thought in your post - I love it! Happy Monday! xx
ReplyDeleteI love that you find food for thought in what I try to say…we should never fit into the box, in my opinion. My friend says, “When were the masses ever right? The masses killed Christ.” So, there we are. Coloring in His lines, our lines, but no one else’s.
DeleteI love Lily of the Valley too. (But honestly, I love all flowers and could never choose a favorite.) It’s so cool that the love of Lily of the Valley runs in your family.
ReplyDeleteHa! I bet your son’s response shocked the other mom’s.