You’ve probably heard the expression, “It’s the thought that counts.” That is very much the case with Mother’s Day gifts. I recently found myself scrambling among the mass of people shopping for something very unique and non-floral for my mother. However, I realized that there are many reasons why sending my mother a special flower arrangement is a unique Mother’s Day gift.

My mother is as unique as a dainty snowflake. She is among the most important people in my life. Decades spent with her have woven together the threads of time into a bond between her and I that cannot be broken. Because of this I wanted to get the best gift possible for her this Mother’s Day. I walked through the aisles and peered through online galleries in search of the perfect gift for her but none seemed to show how much I care. Not one had the special touch that a child or grandchild can bring. I wanted a gift that warms her heart because it brought forth a special memory. I thought back through all of the many times that my mother had received flowers from her children, my father, her own father who is now deceased, and others. I remembered the chipper little girl that seemed to shine through when she received each arrangement. I knew then that what I really wanted to give my mother was another flower memory.

My mother’s father has been gone for many years now. I’ve heard her speak often of her “pa” and the many wonderful attributes of this amazing man. I poured through the recesses of my mind and finally remembered the story that I’d heard mother relay of the first time that her father gave her flowers. I couldn’t wait to call my local flower shop and order a bouquet of daisies because it is exactly what she received from him nearly forty years ago.

No generically manufactured gift can ever elicit the same response from my mother as the daisies and accompanying card that read, “Your daddy would be proud of how wonderful a mother you’ve been to me.” While generic gifts may conjure up some sort of general emotion, they cannot touch individual hearts with the same tenderness as a child. They rarely accomplish the feeling of awe as a child watches the wrinkles of her mother’s face melt away, replaced by the bright smile of a little girl. Though many offered ideas, few would’ve thought that the perfect gift with the most special touch was the one that I’d almost overlooked though all it really needed was my mommy-daughter touch.

Daisies For My Mother

— Brynn Jackson FSN —