Mother's Day

This afternoon we had our traditional Mother’s Day ritual of sending white carnations to our mothers who are not gone, only gone on ahead.  We began this ritual the Mother’s Day after my mother’s death.  A white carnation was attached to a balloon and sent to heaven.

And we did the same thing every Mother’s Day since, adding a flower every time another mother ascended.  More flowers meant more balloons.  But, if for some reason, our balloon bouquet didn’t make it all the way to heaven, it would litter the landscape somewhere.  After thinking it over, we decided maybe we didn’t have to send actual flowers.  Why not send only the essence of the flowers?

Instead of balloons we send the flowers by way of fire.  White carnations, one for each of our mothers and grandmothers, and one extra, are tossed into a bon-fire, where the flames release the essence of the flowers, their spirit, and it rises to heaven with the smoke.  Burnt offerings have become a part of our Mother’s Day observances.

Today, however, we ran into a bit of a problem.  It is very dry.  We are still waiting for the Spring rains.  There have been grass fires, and, as a result, there is a ban on back-yard fires.  Barbequing is OK, but no open fires.  So, since we couldn’t have a fire, we used the BBQ in our ceremony.  It seems to have worked out just as well as it usually does.