Get Well Soon Flowers

Just a few years ago, I received the kind of phone call that you never want to get.  It was my sister and she called to tell me that our father was so sick that he had been admitted at their local hospital.  Although my sister said that it wasn’t a cause for serious concern, I really wanted to show my dad that I was thinking of him even though I was half a world away.  The first thought that came to mind was to send flowers to brighten up his room.

Since I was all the way in the US at the time, I explained to my sister that the only way to get my message across would be to order flowers for delivery online.  I really wanted to be able to pick them out myself and choose the best bouquet for our dad and browsing through the various online florists that make flower deliveries in the UK was my best bet.  My sister agreed and quickly gave me our father’s room number, the address of the hospital and the ward phone number.  She said that our father would certainly feel that my thoughts are with him every time he looks at the flowers and, besides, I could always give him a call from time to time to check in.

Shortly after my chat with my sister, I called my dad to see how he was doing.  He had a severe respiratory infection but he was getting the best treatment possible and the doctors said that the worst was indeed over.  They did, however, insist on keeping him for observation just to play it safe.

The best part of our phone call was the joy that I heard in his voice when he realized that it was me calling!  He did not expect me to call and he really appreciated the much needed distraction from the usual drone of hospital life.  While we were chatting on the phone, I was looking around online at various online florists and what sort of flowers they had to offer.  I hit the jackpot when I found a florist that not only offered free flower delivery but they also provided same day delivery in most cases!  I immediately found the perfect bouquet, placed my order and waited patiently.

Late the next afternoon, I called my father again to check in on her.  He sounded delighted to hear my voice again and the first words he spoke were those of thanks.  He had received the colourful bouquet that I’d ordered and the message inside was one that he would forever cherish.

I’m not sure whether it was the fresh flowers, the message I wrote or the chats on the phone but, it was just two days later and my father was given the all clear to return home!  I gave him a call every day to check up on him and, with each day that passed, he sounded better and better.  In my heart, I truly believe that it is the sentiment and the thought along with the therapeutic power of flowers that can really make all the difference.  Especially if you are miles away with no way of making a personal visit.

A Very Different Mother’s Day

It would seem as though I was having one of those days.  From the very second I woke up, all I wanted to do was crawl back under the covers and wake up tomorrow when it was all over.  It was just last year and it was my very first Mother’s Day since she passed away.  In fact, Mother’s Day was the very first special day that had arrived since her passing just a few weeks prior.  My family and I would usually spoil her rotten with fresh flowers, sweet treats and lots of pampering.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through this day without her.

Every Mother’s Day I would dedicate my entire day to her.  Last year, she was in the hospital and I wasn’t exactly allowed to stay with her all day but, I did manage to convince the nurses to let me stay a bit longer than usual.  Before my planned visit that Sunday, I had planned to brighten her day with a fresh flower delivery.  Despite the dull colours of the hospital ward, the bright bunch of gerbera daisies made all the difference.  As I entered her hospital room, I remember the look on her face and her smile as I placed her favourite flowers in a vase beside her bed along with a photograph of the two of us.  I sat in bed with her and we laughed and cried as we talked about all the special family moments.  I told her time and time again how much admiration, respect and love I had for her.  Although she was speechless at the time, I knew that she appreciated every word I said.

I may have broken the rules in the hospital by sticking around past visiting hours and my boss wasn’t very happy with me since I had taken the day off but I didn’t care.  My mother was far too important than any job, rule or regulation.  I needed to make her feel special and I do believe that, by making the time to deliver her Mother’s Day flowers personally, I really made her day.

As I lay awake in bed that morning, thinking of all the days, months and years with my mother always by my side, I recalled all the wonderful Mother’s Day memories too.  I remembered how we would sometimes treat her to a meal out at her favourite restaurant or we would make her a full English breakfast with every trimming imaginable.  These loving memories soon filled my heart and, as they did, the sadness faded.  I decided that it was time to pick myself up and face the day.  Just because my mother wasn’t with me anymore did not mean that I would not celebrate her and everything she did for me.  I got up, wiped my tears and got dressed.  I picked up some special treats and headed over to my dad’s place.

When I arrived, I noticed just how grief stricken he was so I didn’t do too much explaining.  I just asked him to accompany me for a drive and he politely obliged with a heavy heart.  I took him to my mother’s grave where I set out a blanket, unpacked the basket of food and placed her favourite flowers beside her headstone.  It was a really therapeutic experience for both my father and I.  It really helped us get through the day and we decided to do the same every year and also on other occasions like her birthday and other important holidays.