Day Eighteen: Ask

ask

Photo Credit: Elias Cabarcas

Today’s Prompt: Write about asking for something

I’m going to break the “rules” of this prompt and write about not asking for something. Elias (my husband) isn’t a big fan of “on command” gestures of love and appreciation. He doesn’t really do Valentine’s Day. He acknowledges my birthday with our family birthday tradition breakfast. We don’t really buy each other Christmas presents or anniversary presents. What he does do, is grand gestures of love and affection when they are not asked for. One of my favorites is the roses he planted outside of my office a year ago. He cut them way down to almost stubs last year, and I questioned it. What are you doing?  I asked. I want them to grow big and tall. 

This is how they grow big and tall he said. 

And wow. They’re big. And tall. And beautiful.

He told me that he wanted me to think of him every time I walked by them on my way to the office. And I do. Every single day.  Even when they’re not blooming, as they are now.

Elias doesn’t like cut flowers. They make him anxious and sad. It’s one of the things I love about him. He much prefers flowers that are attached to their stems, attached to their roots. As such, he has a lot of roses. In pots and coffee cans and empty peanut butter jars. I criticize the containers. He ignores me.

His mother, Marina, grew roses. When my mom and dad left San Antonio a few weeks ago, Clayton started talking about family connections and realized that his dad had a mom, his other grandma.

When will she come to San Antonio? Clayton asked. I swallowed hard and said Well, she’s an angel.  She won’t ever come to San Antonio, but you can see her in your dreams. Ask God to see her when you go to sleep, when you dream. I bet you will. 

I thought he had forgotten about it, bur a few days later he said “Mommy, I saw my other grandma in my dreams. With all the flowers.”

You can believe that he’s just four years old and that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about and that he’s influenced by his overly spiritual, nonsense talking mother, or you can believe (as I do) that four year olds have a special spiritual sensitivity and knowledge and that he really did see his other grandma there, with all the flowers.

Keep dreaming, sweet one. Your daddy’s roses and your grandma, they’re all connected in your dreams.

 

 

Where are days sixteen and seventeen you ask? Well, I took the photos, but I didn’t do the writing. They’ve been busy days and I’ve had one of those nagging sore throats and dull headaches that seem to happen two or three times a year. I’ve been to bed before 10 pm for the past two nights. Back at it for Day Eighteen and ask.

 

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