My children took their assignment seriously, and looked over every pot on all the carts. Long after the other children had returned to their seats, and presented the other mothers with a beautiful potted flower, my two were still making their selection. Finally, with a joyful exclamation, they made their selection from the back of one of the carts. With exuberant smiles lighting their faces, they proudly proceeded down the aisle to where I was seated and presented me with the plant they had chosen as their Mother’s Day gift of appreciation.
I stared in amazement at the broken, bedraggled, sickly looking stick being held out to me by my son. Mortified, I accepted the pot from him. They had obviously chosen the smallest, sickest plant—it didn’t even have a bloom on it. Looking down at their smiling faces, I saw their pride in this choice, and knowing how long it took them to choose this particular plant, I smiled and accepted their gift.
But then I had to ask—out of all those beautiful flowers— what had made them pick this particular plant to give to me?
With great pride, my son said, “this one looked like it needed you, Mom,” As tears flowed down my face, I hugged both children close. They had just given me the greatest Mother’s Day gift I could ever have imagined. My hard work and sacrifices had not been in vain—they would grow up just fine.
As we grow older, life experiences cloud our judgment, and circumstances create bias. We have earned our years, and we think that we understand the ways of the world.
But when you think you have everything figured out, something will happen to catch you off guard, and surprise you in a profound way.
This mother almost had her heart broken. But her beloved children understood that the power of a mother’s love can turn a dying plant into a blossoming seed of life.
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