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Flowers are a symbol of love and appreciation. For many, they can be a beautiful and thoughtful way to express how we feel. The tradition of giving flowers on Mother's Day actually dates back to ancient Greece, where they were not given as gifts, but were used to decorate and celebrate Rhea, the mother of the gods.
Mother's Day, at least as we know it today, didn't actually begin until the early 20th century. Anna Jarvis campaigned for the establishment of Mother's Day as a national holiday in honor of her own mother, who had passed away. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday of May as Mother's Day in the United States.
Luca
Some traditions are hard to break, especially those with an emotional connection. I've written before how much my mother hated getting flowers. It really wasn't about the flowers themselves as much as it was about waste. My mother hated wasting money, it came from her difficult childhood growing up with very little. Flower to her were a waste. Whenever we would give them to her, she just sigh and ask why we'd spend money on something that would be dead and in the garbage in less than a week.
The only exception was the sunflower, something I only really learned a few years before she died. I'd grew some sunflowers in my garden and took up a few for my sister-in-laws birthday. My mom questioned why I didn't bring any up for her. When I told her I thought she hated flowers, she made sure to set me straight. She hated bought flowers, but she loved sunflowers, especially ones I grew myself. For the next few years, I gave her sunflowers often, some I grew, others I purchased and just told her I grew them.
Even though my mother didn't want bought flowers, she still insisted on a gift. She was one of those people who loved getting a gift card, especially to a restaurant. Better still, she loved it when I'd go up and cook her and my dad a big meal. Gifts, even those made up of pretty petals however, are not given without expectations. Sure, the motivation is supposed to be pure, a show of love and appreciation. Those however, are things that can simply be said with words.
Flowers, like most gifts come with conditions, even if the condition is a s simple as 'keep loving me.'. If you give flowers to someone that you romantically love, even without saying, you want and expect love, and sex, in return. If it's a friend or relative, you also expect a return. It might be something as small as them being there for you, but there's a Quid Pro Quo none the less.
Now that my mother is no longer here, I still buy sunflowers each Mother's Day. I grow them as well, but they won't be in full bloom until August. I usually buy two bouquets each May, one for my living room, and one to take to my mother's grave site. As I said, some traditions are harder to break than others.
Henry
One tradition I hope never to break, it posting hot naked hunks exposing their petals on Mother's Day. Thanks to Tom from
TR Pics, we have a buff and beefy selection of sons displaying their Mother's Day bouquets. This year, Tom's images also sparked what I hope will be a new tradition. Check out another symbol, this one a little more intimate, many of us associate with our mothers on the
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