May 3, 2009
by Bil Cusack
In preparing for this morning, (by prepare, I mean I was asked to do 10 minutes on the subject of "Mothers and flowers").
I did what anyone in this day and age on any given Friday evening May 8 might do: Googled "Mothers and Flowers"; / / / Couldn't hurt right?
Predictably, up came a long list of places one could click to send a mother flowers. Then I realized my error: hey, this is a Yahoo search! That's the problem! Except when repeated, Google offered the same list.
So, we know there is a connection between Mothers and Flowers, so let's take a closer look:
Little children instinctively know; to make mommy happy, go pick some pretty flowers. Mommies instinctively know to be delighted when handed the dandelions or sunflowers or whatever was growing in the front yard.
As we get a bit older, the choice of flowers becomes more of an issue. At some point we arrive to understand that we might b u y her some pretty flowers. That may be more what she would like. Especially if you're 30 years old.
Then comes the first purchase of roses. Do you remember your first purchase of a dozen long stem roses? I do. I was 12 years old, I had a couple of weeks allowance jingling in my pocket, I walked into a florists to make my purchase, and bong! Sticker Shock!! Then I remembered someone saying something about how "one perfect rose makes a stunning presentation". I took a good 10 minutes finding that "perfect rose", and proudly presented it.
And that's when a bit of maturity, a bit of growth begins to kick in. The 10 minutes spent thinking about my mother and how she would see the flower I was searching for, became a space for love to enter.
* * *
Then, there is knowing someone well enough to know what their favorite flowers are. . . Without them reminding you.
So after eons, the giving and receiving of flowers has taken almost a genetic quality for us. Humans have done it for longer than anyone knows, and along the way, the gesture has gained deeper meaning than just "well, I happened across these, and thought you might like them". Although there's nothing wrong with that.
What do mothers want for their children?
Companionship
Hope
A Dream
Courage
<Call outs from the congregation>
So many things, more than we can cover here. What do Mommas children want for her?
1. To know we love her.
To be pleased with us.
<Call outs from the congregation>
Again a variety of things - more than we can go into in a short talk on the subject of Mothers and Flowers.
The mother - offspring relationship is the original LTR (Long Term Relationship). And like ALL LTRs, you have NOT got "sunshine on a cloudy day", everyday. All LTRs, have their Winter of discontent. Periods when you were NOT the apple of her eye, we know when that mostly occurred; it was the period of time right before we had been out of school a certain number of years and our parents magically became smart again.
When we want to go places talking can't take us, we reach for:
a piece of music
a favorite poem. . .
and symbols.
Is there any more perfect symbol (hold rose)
for love
for hope
for forgiveness...
Of any emotion we can't quite convey in a few words?
END: Sing "Come Sing a Song W/ Me" Al Capella
Come Sing a Song with Me,
Come dream a dream with me,
Come walk in rain with me,
that I might know your mind.