Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day! You'd Have to Know My Mother to Understand!

Happy Valentine's Day to my family, my friends and all the awesome people that I have had the opportunity to meet this past 5 weeks or so, since I started this blog. I hope your day will be everything you hope for, and that you will be able to reach out and send your love to others.
The name of this Kim Anderson figurine is: Love; The Greatest Gift of All. I believe that is true. We can ALL give the gift of Love.
The year I was in 8th grade, the cheerleaders at good ole MHS were selling carnations as a team fundraiser. You could order them, and then on Valentine's Day, the cheerleaders would deliver them to the person of your choice, directly into the classroom. Needless to say, it made quite a statement and generated alot of excitement and revenue! Blue carnations symbolized "I'd like to get to know you better"...red, of course, symbolized "Love"...yellow meant "Friendship". Pink stood for "Like", whatever that is! I believe they also had green and black, but I've managed to forget what those meant. So for a whopping $1.25, you could make a statement for the day. One of my friends and I talked about sending a blue one to each other, just for kicks!

I decided that I wanted a token of love and appreciation for my mother. I scraped together the pocket change I could find, and when I placed my order, I asked the cheerleaders if I could please order a silk red rose. In my mind, how would a carnation survive ALL day? Just any rose wouldn't do. I wanted a fluffy one, now known to me as a cabbage rose. I didn't want one of those roses "with a tight plasticy" looking bud. AND I wanted the stem to have a couple of buds on it. Oh, please could I have a ribbon bow on it too? They conferred with one another (can't you just see them...they even called the florist shop!) and yes, they could do that for me, but it would be $2.50!

That year we had quite a bit of snow. In the hills of Arkansas it doesn't take much of the fluffy white stuff to cancel school for the day. And can you believe it, it snowed on Valentine's Day. School was cancelled, so the cheerleader's fundraiser fell through. However, the silk rose survived! When I returned to school there it was in all of its beautiful red splendor! I was extremely pleased to bring it home to Mother. It was a surprise to her...eventhough it was belated, and Valentine's Day was a bit uneventful due to the snowfall. I'm sure I probably made a card to go with it, though I don't remember precisely. She showed the proper amount of appreciation to me, as any loving mother would do with such a gift. And I was tickled pink with myself for bringing her joy.


As I look back, I'm so glad that in my childish mind I was able to have the forethought to give her a silk red rose. She's gone now. I loved her so...You'd just have to know my mother to understand!


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY


Love, Rachel




19 comments:

Anonymous said...

How sweet! Only our mother could produce such a thoughtful, loving daughter as you! I'm just very
thankful she 'allowed' me to be your sister!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Esther

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I LOVE your new look! It is really pretty!

Mommy said...

What a sweet story! I love the new look on your blog too! :) Happy Valentines Day!

Hope said...

Hi Rachel,
That was such a sweet story and a wonderful memory for you I'm sure. Thanks for sharing that.

I like your new look! I thought my computer had messed up and I'd gone to the wrong place! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hugs,
Hope

pse said...

Rachel, how beautiful. I wish I had thought to do something like that! I know Mother taught us all love and kindness and I'm sure she knew we each dearly loved her in our own way.

A happy Valentine's day to you all.
Love, Pallie Sue

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

What a nice story! I really like your Valentine vignette! I have the same tea pot and cup and saucer! I never tire of the Old Country Roses pattern! It is so romantic, perfect for Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Katherine

CIELO said...

Hi sweetie... I think I left a message meant to be posted here on your previous post.... nevertheless I love everything I see, and taste here :) Those sugar cookies are delicious!


Cielo

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Happy Valentine's Day you Sweetheart!

What a lovely post to your Mom. You're blessed to have had such a lovely Mother.

I am honored you featured my porch, Zeke and I thank you from the bottom of our Valentine hearts!

Love your new look - how exciting for you, Rachel ~yippee!

xoxo~Tracie

Ronda said...

Loved the sweet story about your precious Mother! AND your new look is absolutely beautiful! How fun to click on and see such a gorgeous site! Good job! Hope that you and your family have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Karla Cook @ Roads to Everywhere said...

But see... that was back when "silk" flowers were a new thing. Plastic flowers (gag!) were what people used to decorate their homes into the 70s... and then they came out with "silk" flowers and they were so beautiful and real looking, but kind of expensive. I remember it was a point of discussion late in the 70s and early 80s when someone was planning their wedding as to whether they would have silk flowers or real flowers. Silk was preferred because they would "keep" but they were more expensive.

From our perspective today, yeah, a silk flower seems kind of cheesy... but at the time it was a lovely gift... and I know Grandmother treasured it! I can just hear her bragging on it for you. She had such a gift for making people feel appreciated.

Happy Valentines Day!

Farrah said...

Rachel, I LOVE your new look! It's absolutely beautiful!

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Anonymous said...

Dear Rachel,
Oh my, what a beautiful posting today. I would love to wander through you beautiful home and see all you pretty things. Your Mother was a very special, wonderful, kind, lovely lady. I know she is so very proud of you, as well as, all her other children.
Have a wonderful valentine day.
Love you, Donnie

A Romantic Porch said...

Donnie, How sweet. I know she loved all of us. We all expressed our love to her in different ways. I'm glad you, PSE, Linda and Esther are my sisters. Love, Rachel

Lallee said...

Sweet vignette! Happy Valentines Day!

Anonymous said...

I'LL SPEAK FOR THE BOYS, YOUR MOTHER WAS INDEED A VERY SPECIAL WOMAN. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY. KEITH

Anonymous said...

What a precious story about your mother! How proud she must have been to realize how hard you worked to make that happen!

I love your new look!

Rose of Sharon said...

What a sweet story! That is just precious that you wanted to buy it for your mother!

I can't believe you have only been blogging for a month! You have such a nice blog and so many friends. I've been doing it for 6 months and it took me awhile to get going. I'm so glad you started!!

Happy Valentine's Day! Sharon

kari and kijsa said...

Happy Valentines Day from our hearts to yours!

blessings,
kari & kijsa

A Romantic Porch said...

Sharon, Actually, I believe it's been a little over 5 weeks. Maybe I should have said that instead! :)