Gardenia, close up

Gardenia (Hawaiian= Kiele)

Mom, it’s been almost twenty years since I’ve been without you~
My wedding, the birth of my children, life’s big milestones…all without you,
I still miss you.

More and more I see you now though,
Sometimes when I look at me, sometimes when I look at my children–your grandchildren,
But most of all when I see gardenias.

Long ago I planted gardenias to remind me of you,
Just to have you near me.

I think of you when I admire the blossoms,
And as I inhale their heady fragrance,
I am a child again, back in your embrace, smelling the sweet scent of gardenias tucked into your hair.

A mother’s love is never forgotten.

Gardenia, on plate