I gathered a handful and presented them to her. She bent over and taking one of them, said something like "let's put this under your chin to see if it reflects yellow, then we will know whether you like butter".
What an impression that made on me. Whenever I see a Buttercup, the moment and the learning experience come back. I have repeated it with my own children and have gone one step further by saving and pressing the Buttercups they presented to me between pages in the same book where my Mom had pressed flowers that were important to her.
One of those had to have been Sweet Peas. She loved those delicate flowers. She carried them on her wedding day and when speaking affectionately to her granddaughters, she would call them "Sweet pea".
When Amanda was getting married, she chose Sweet Peas for her bridal bouquet in honor of her Grandmom. Stephanotis was also there. It was a bridal must of my Mother's.
Lilacs were another favorite of hers. When my Tammy made her First Communion, my Mom arrived from Philadelphia with buckets of this fragrant breath of spring to make into beautiful arrangements in my home for this special occasion. And, when one of her Grandchildren would tell a fib, she would call that child "my little lilac" (lieloc??)
Lily of the Valley
Sweet Peas, Stephanotis, lilacs and Buttercups, her favorite flowers, they go together - in one fragrant Mother's Day bouquet for my Mom.
The Victorian Meaning of Her Favorite Flowers
Buttercup - cheerfulness and charm
Lilac - first emotions of love, and beauty
Lily of the Valley - sweetness, happiness and humility
Stephanotis - marital happiness
and
Sweet Pea - THANK YOU!
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