Airica's Flower is Blooming

This is a picture of Airica's Flower sent to me from Airica's BFFAE "Leena".  She took the picture and wrote, "Airica's flower blooms at the oddest of times.  It's beautiful and unique just like Airica".  

This plant/flower, the beautiful Gerber Daisy, was planted for Airica the day that she died.  It was one of the thoughtful gestures, made by many to our family.  Along with many flowers and gifts of food and comfort.  The difference with this one was that unlike the food and other bouquets it "lived" on.  It became my living bouquet to remind me of Airica and purposely it was her favorite color pink.

I have never had a "green thumb".  I have had plants but none flourished.  I had  to make sure this plant lived.  I read online how to care for the Gerber Daisy plant.  How it lived outdoors until the first chill and indoors in the winter until spring.  I learned that it bloomed in the warmth of the spring sun.  Sounds easy enough right?

  Summer ended and it started to cool down so inside came my plant along with some cute little inch worms.  Yes, very cute, like Slimey from Sesame Street, but eating the leaves of Airica's flowers!  It was a week long battle to rid the plant of the inch worms so that they or the plant didn't get hurt.  We all survived.  The adorable little inch worms had a new home far from the house, the plant was alive yet full of holes, weak and brown, and I was emotionally exhausted trying to make sure Airica's flowers lived on.

Then in the middle of winter, beautiful bright pink daisies bloomed.  I was shocked, amazed, and excited.  Airica's Flowers continued to flourish and bloom whenever they wanted to.  They did not follow the seasons, they didn't only bloom in spring, they weren't even dormant in winter.  Like Leena said, Airica's  flower blooms at the oddest of times."

As spring approaches my whole being remembers that spring 3 years ago when my beautiful Airica got sick.  It just happens.  As the sun becomes warmer, the flowers begin to blossom, and everything starts to become a beautiful green, my heart begins to ache.  It even seems to be subconscious at first.  I don't know why I feel so opposite of what I should feel at the beginning of this wonderful season.  Then before I can finish the thought my heartache reminds me.  Of course I try to focus on the good memories, and the beautiful blessing that I had for almost 14 years of being Airica's mother, unfortunately that is often outweighed by the realization that half of my heart is missing from my chest.

As these feelings were creeping up on me this year I get this picture from Leena  (she is now the care taker of Airica's flowers since we have moved to Arizona).  As I am looking at this beautiful flower which reminds me of my sweet girl I begin to think about this actual flower in the picture.  It is so bright and full of life and brilliant color.  This plant has used up all of its energy to produce this wonderful flower.  It is, just as Leena said, "Beautiful and unique just like Airica." This flower will only be here for a short time and then it will be gone.  We will have to enjoy it for what it is, feast our eyes upon the beauty it shows us for this brief time, and take from it what we can while it is here. Again, just like Airica.

The flower that blooms at the oddest times?  Everything says these daisies bloom only in spring, yet this one blooms whenever it decides.  Defying nature, a unique gift, blooms so vibrant I wish they were always present.  Again, just like Airica.

Airica's huge smile was so vibrant, her love was so mature and sincere, her beauty inside and out was such a gift to all who experienced it, her life so brief in the terms of what we expect, yet defying nature because the love that blossomed from her lives on in all of us that loved her.