For some reason, ever since mom passed away, I really wanted flowers, so today, I finally went and bought some.

I guess you’d imagine that I’d get her favorite flower, but I have no idea what that was, so I bought my favorite color (yellow) and my favorite smell (carnations) and combined the two.

As I stood in line to pay, I realized how much these flowers meant to me and began to cry. Grief has no boundaries. It just comes and goes when it feels like it.

Behind me in line was a man, who commented on the beautiful flowers. I said, “Thank you. My mom died, and I thought that when people die, people give you flowers, but they don’t, so I’m buying my own.” He began to share with me how his mom’s in a nursing home and not doing well. At that moment, we both understood each other’s hearts.

As I left the store, I decided that THIS will be how I remember my mom: with yellow roses and white carnations, so throughout the year, whenever I buy them, I’ll be combining my favorite color and my favorite smell with my favorite thoughts of mom.