“Here’s a Dandy for you, Mom.”
One rainy day – I think I was about 13 or 14 – my mom and I were passing the time browsing through some of the old books on our shelves. We chanced upon an old book of poems….the kind that are heavily rhymed and highly sentimental. We flipped through the pages together, occasionally landing on one or two and reading them aloud, smiling or even laughing over a few. Then we stumbled upon one rather sweet, sad poem. It told the story of a little boy who becomes ill and dies. His mother remembers how he used to bring her dandelions he had picked from a nearby field, saying “here’s a dandy for you, Mom.” I don’t remember any other lines, but I do remember that both my mom and I were crying before we reached the end. Even though we knew it wasn’t a very good poem, it touched us both.
This past week, I spent a few days in Ohio, my home state. Everything is greening up there, lilacs, azaleas and dogwoods are in full bloom and the buds and new leaves are coming up on all the trees. The grass is a riot of new green and lawns are dotted with the bright yellow of dandelion flowers. I’d forgotten how pretty they are. Looking at them, I was suddenly reminded of that poem (I haven’t thought of it in years) and that special time with my mom. A gift of memory. So today, as I remember my mom on Mother’s Day, I can only say,”Here’s a Dandy for you, Mom.”
