Gram

 

I participated in a Women's Retreat where the opening question was, "What's your favorite flower?"   Seriously.  I almost pretended I had a phone call that I just had to take and left. My favorite flower??!!?!? Why not who's my favorite Pittsburgh Pirate? (Roberto Clemente). 

Being honest there's not a lot of flowers I could readily name....tulip, rose, dandelion...and not one of those would be my favorite.  

As the women gathered in the circle answered with long, and yes "flowery" answers citing why that particular flower, I confess, I had nothing. I was going to mention my birth month flower, the carnation, and then feign a phone emergency. 

Then, I remembered my Gram.

As a family we were blessed enough to have our Gram live with us. Around our house there were patches and patches of wild violets or what we called "Johnny Jump-Ups," they were all over, patches and patches of purple.  As a kid I wold pick a handful and proudly bring them to my Gram, who would be overly grateful as if I had just come back from the tropics with some rare orchid. Gram would thank me, preen about how lovely were the "Johnny Jump-ups" and then promptly place the little batch of wild violets, that were all my tiny hands could carry, into a small glass filled with water and place them in the center of the family table...a very serious place of honor.  

It's not only on International Women's Day that I think of my Gram. Like her youngest child, my mother, Gram was no frills, no fuss, steady, strong without telling you she was, steady, constant and lived a deep river faith.

Whenever I see patches of "Johnny Jump-Ups," I think of my Gram and how I would present her with these most common of flowers that were literally all over the property.  

The thing about "Johnny Jump-Ups" is exactly that, they are everywhere and they are reliable and constant and keep showing up season after season.....year after year....just like my Gram and all the strong and amazing women I have been and am blessed to know.

Happy International Women's Day.