Bright and Beautiful

Almost as an afterthought, I picked some tulips out of my backyard to bring to mom today.  Lots of yellow ones, a few purples and reds.  They sat, without water, on the passenger seat in my car as I delivered some metal project across town.  By the time I got them in a vase with fresh water and on mom's dresser they were getting wilted.  The desert-like conditions at the nursing home will surely do them in by Thursday.

Something struck me about cutting nearly all the tulips out of my yard so that they will die in a vase in a hot room a few miles away.  I looked out my back window this afternoon and saw the shaggy bunches of ugly tulip leaves without their bright flowers to justify their existence.

As mom continues to dwindle and I struggle to deal with it all I found something so peaceful about taking my few treasured tulips and bringing them to her.  

Here mom, I've grown something bright and beautiful just for you.