Today I was thinking about a plant. Weird, right? I keep a lot of houseplants, have a number of favorites, and attach deep meaning to a few of them. Of these, my peace lily is perhaps the most meaningful, due to the circumstances around which I received it.
In the late 2000's, my dear grandmother passed on from this world. She had a good life, but was quite sick and was debilitated and suffering in her final weeks. She struggled to breathe, and existed in a perpetual state of literal suffocating panic and anxiety. Life is fleeting and precious, but there are certain circumstances where I believe that death can be a mercy.
She was a special person, was always kind, and especially to me. I was in my 20's when I cried at her funeral. I wasn't prepared to cry, and I didn't expect it. Thus far in life I've been blessed not to attend many funerals. My emotion surprised me, but it was good and necessary and I don't regret it.
At work, my sweet and thoughtful co-worker gifted me a peace lily. I didn't learn this until later, but in some cultures a peace lily is considered to be a traditional sympathy plant. The dark green leaves with pure while flowers are said to represent purity, rebirth of the soul, and of course: peace.
I don't particularly have a green thumb, but I keep and tend my houseplants regularly because it is a soothing ritual of intention, it brings me joy, and it brings me peace. Every week, when I tend to my peace lily, I remember the kind friend that thought to care for a grieving young man, and I think of my dear grandmother and what she meant to me.
~nullish
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