When It's Family...I Think of Mom's Roses

I love flowers. My mom had lots of flowers in our yard, and always tended to them in the summer evenings. Her rose bushes smelled beautiful, and bloomed from spring to late fall.

My mom received her rose bushes as a gift from her father-in-law, my Grandpa Frank. My grandfather loved flowers. He owned a flower store and worked long hours & many holidays. I'm sure he appreciated the care my mother took with the rose bushes. I learned from her the importance of tending to something with care, and giving just enough fertilizer & water.

The greatest reward with flowers is giving them to others. I remember my mother wrapping freshly cut roses in a wet paper towel and aluminum foil. Then, my sister and I would take the roses to school for our classroom teacher. (It didn't help with my grades.) Other times, she would give a rose to a neighbor. A smile from the recipient every time!

Now, the rose bushes are in my yard. Just the other day, I picked the last few buds before our first New England frost arrived. I placed them in a small vase in my kitchen and hoped they would bloom. The next morning, as I walked downstairs, I could smell the beautiful scent of the roses. I walked into my kitchen and saw them all in bloom. I smiled.


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Someone recently asked me where I get my ideas. I get my ideas from my memories- the good & bad ones. Whenever I see rose bushes- I think of my mom, lazy summers spent at home playing with the kids in the neighborhood, and having chores in the yard- which I loved! I take all those memories and, with a little creativity, write a story. The following is an excerpt from the soon to be released 'Legacy of Grandpa's Grapevine'. The lesson that Grandpa Frank is trying to teach Elizabeth was written from the reflections I shared in today's blog: When It's Family...I Think of Mom's Roses.

“Not yet, don’t rush when you plant flowers. You plant flowers like you plant your life. You see, first you loosen the soil. You see if it’s good to grow things here, not too many rocks to get in your way. Then, you arrange the flowers on the ground and take a few steps back like so and say, yes, all looks good. I wouldn’t change a thing. Then, you cover the roots with a little dirt and give a little food and care and then you watch them grow.”  Grandpa Frank stepped back to admire the first planted row of flowers.

          “And now I plant the white, Grandpa Frank?”

          “Yes. You see, it gets easier as you go along, just like life. That first row you make, you must be very careful and have everything just so. Or everything else will not look so nice.”