Flowers are the perfect sentiment for every occasion that we experience in the Circle of Life, from the birth of a child to the passing of a grandparent.

If there is an occasion, my husband (Poppy) is there with flowers. After dating for a week, he sent me two dozen roses. The roses were yellow because the florist ran out of red since it was the week of Christmas, so now the yellow rose holds great sentiment for me. Yellow roses evoke memories of important events in my 36 years of marriage to Poppy…our wedding, anniversaries, births of our children, birthdays, and sympathy for my father’s unexpected death.

Weddings

Certainly you’ve enjoyed the beauty of flowers at weddings. Wedding flowers have always symbolized happiness. Perhaps the flowers chosen by the bride held special meaning for her and her your groom. My bouquet of soft white flowers was interspersed with yellow roses. My flower girl dropped yellow rose petals down the aisle as I approached my soon to be husband. The tradition of dropping petals as the bride walks towards her groom was to ensure a life of happiness…so far so good!

Also, the leaving of thank you gifts for the wedding guests originated with leaving floral nosegays on the table for each guest as a way to share the wedding couple’s happiness. When meeting with your wedding florist, ask about the meaning of wedding flowers that are used for bouquets and arrangements to make your floral displays more meaningful for you.

Can we conceive what humanity would be if it did not know the flowers? ~Maurice Maeterlinck

Birthdays

Whenever I have a birthday, I look forward to receiving birthday flowers from Poppy. Even though I know they’re coming, he surprises me with a different bouquet (but always with a few yellow roses) each birthday. Just as wedding flowers are associated with tradition and meanings, so are birthday flowers. Each of the twelve months has its own birthday flower with its own meaning.

My birth flower is the Rose which has been a symbol for love and passion (red) since the beginning of time. But it also represents beauty and perfection…a very romantic flower. The yellow rose represents warmth and friendship and if it has red tips, then it means falling in love. The white rose, of course, represents innocence and purity. If you really want to make an impressive statement, research the meanings of birthday flowers and create a mixed bouquet to fit your loved one’s personality or to express your feelings.

Funerals

When words escape, flowers speak. ~ Bruce W. Currie

Sympathy flowers offer comfort to those that have lost a loved one. Also their beauty reminds us to celebrate the life of the deceased. When my mother-in-law passed away last month, friends and family provided floral arrangements instead of sending donations as requested. The viewing and grave site would have been so cold looking if it were not for the sympathy flowers. Our children and grandchildren expressed their love for Mom Mom with a large red heart encircled with a white ribbon with the words, “Mom Mom.” On the casket was a large white spray symbolizing the peace and tranquility of her passing.

As the quotes express, flowers are an important part of our Circle of Life. They bring happiness, allow us to express our feelings, and celebrate life from the beginning through to the end.

With my grandchildren’s great-grandmother passing away this past week, I am concerned about how they will react as time goes on. They attended the viewing and the burial ceremony. Kaitlin, the oldest of the two great-granddaughters placed drawings into the coffin from the two of them for Mom-Mom to take with her to Heaven. The person she saw did not look like her Mom-Mom that she remembered for she had lost too much weight. Perhaps that was a blessing. The casket was then closed before friends and relatives arrived to pay their respect.

I’ve searched for books to help us help Kaitlin and Emily with the questions that may be asked when the realization that they won’t see their great-grandmother again sets in. Here are some that I have found online:

	When Someone Very Special Dies: Children Can Learn to Cope with Grief A practical format for allowing children to understand the concept of death and develop coping skills for life.
	I Miss You: A First Look At Death When a close friend or family member dies, it can be difficult for children to express their feelings. This book helps boys and girls understand that death is a natural complement to life, and that grief and a sense of loss are normal feelings for them to have following a loved one’s death.
	Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies An art therapy and activity book for children coping with death. Sensitive exercises address all the questions children may have during this emotional and troubling crisis.
	Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs Originally published in 1973, this autobiographical picture book was one of the first to introduce very young children to the concept of death.
	Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas (100 Ideas Series) Each page presents a different idea designed to help teens recognize mourning as a natural process connected with loss, reassuring them that they should not be afraid of deep, sometimes uncontrollable emotions, and showing them how to release grief in healthy, positive ways.

Since grief is a very personal emotion, so may be your choice of self-help books. Search Amazon.com further for more selections on grieving. 

Hopes and Dreams So Early Lost

My dear, dear grandchild,
Brought together at such a cost,
Hopes and dreams so early lost.
The moon and stars belong to you,
But I don’t know what to do.
Heaven shines your resilient love,
As I look for you above.

Wait for me by the garden gate,
I promise I won’t be late.
Our memories will be my guide,
Your bright love will be my light.
Remember, the one I adore,
Together, we’ll be once more.

by Nana’s Corner, 2008

 
A poem in rememberance of my Nana who passed away in March, 1976:

Nana, In My Heart Forever More 

I wonder as I watch the shore
will I miss my Nana less or more.

Sunshine attempts to blind my eyes
while dark clouds shed my tears.

The seagulls drown my lonely cries
to tell me you are near.

A rainbow shines a misty light
as it hides a child’s fear.

I need not wonder as before…
Nana, in my heart forever more.

by Nana’s Corner, 2008

Related Posts:

• My Nana…My Grandmother 

Note:  To personalize this poem, you can replace Nana with Grandma or Grandpa.  

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