Petals in the wind. What a wonderful vision. The “Flowers for Mom” petals float and travel to the most surprising places landing in ways never imagined when the first seeds were planted.
Hardships such as the loss of a child, divorce, and cancer, impact a circle that extends well beyond immediate family members. When in midst of dark days, it is often the smallest things that we need the most such as the kindness of friends as they give us a gentle touch of love. It is humbling that my response to an Alzheimer’s journey is providing a ray of light for others.
During the first year of my “Flowers for Mom” photo series, a friend suggested asking people to post their own flower photos on social media to be shared with Mom. What a brilliant idea, and what a tremendous gift to witness the growth of my photo garden through the nurturing hands of others. The outpouring of love was a gift to my mother, but perhaps more importantly, to my father as he saw the kind words and images from so many friends. This year as Mom celebrated her 80th birthday, more flowers were shared with her than the number of her years, and the comments and gestures of kindness exceeded many lifetimes of years. Thank you to all who touched our world with the petals of your flowers.
This past year, I was celebrating a birthday ending in zero too, and it was a friend of my eldest daughter in Boston who surprised me with a gift of flower photos. As he stepped into his yard to find a few flowers, he bumped into a five year old neighbor who “got super excited and insisted that she show me every flower in the neighborhood.” Needless to say, the game became incredibly fun as they traipsed through yards and the number of flower photos exceeded his original goal. On finishing, the little girl proclaimed that the next day she was going for a long walk to take pictures of her own! For the rest of the summer, I imagine that there were two people who found themselves noticing flowers in their neighborhood that they had never seen before. Just like “passalong plants” dug up from one garden and shared with friends, this floral odyssey of mine is being passed along and it is incredible to witness how the act of one person sharing can bloom in far away gardens they have never seen. Unexpected gifts from Alzheimer’s…
Happy Birthday Elmore!!!
I am excited to see your parents are going to be given the Alabama arts council award. We bought a Nall painting last year and had dinner with Nall – he went on and on about how they were some of his first patrons and led his foundation.
Thank you! The arts are so important, and it is quite a gift for Mom and Dad to be recognized for their support of the arts in Alabama.
I am delighted that my sister sent the invite for your blog. What a wonderful idea to share your mothers’ love of flowers with others and from others. I grew up in Montgomery and went to Memorial Presbyterian with Mr. and Mrs Stanhope Elmore. She started my love for hand painted flowers on china with a gift for my marriage of 2 pieces of antique hand painted china which I cherish today. My mother also loved flowers and passed that love on to me. I thought I had to have at least one of every plant in the plant catalogs and tried to grow as many as possible. I still love them today but am going to sell my house to downsize to something I am able to take care of. My sweet son helps me keep my many flowers growing but they are just too much. He always takes such beautiful pictures, and I can’t wait to share some on your blog. At one time we had over 80 varieties of hydrangeas and each one took my breath away. I have several pinterest blogs sharing many of my favorite flowers. One, “I Love the Flowers and Creatures in my Garden” shares many of my son’s pictures. I would love for you to visit it when you have time. Your photography is a work of art.
Thank you for your wonderful message! I will check out your Pinterest page. Sounds like your garden is amazing! Feel free to contact me via e-mail using my website http://www.elmoredemott.com. It would be a pleasure to add you to the e-mail list to make sure you receive these posts in the future. I appreciate your kind words about my photography, and most of all, your shared love for flowers. Thank you for connecting more deeply to family members beyond my mother who loved flowers. Warmest wishes to you.