A Mother's Pot of Gold

April showers bring May flowers...except when it comes to those darned dandelions. They always seem to find a way to poke their heads out of the earth at the first sign of beautiful weather, and stubbornly stake their claim in the soil I'd rather see blanketed with green lawn.

But despite their reputation as pesty weeds and unwelcome visitors to us grown up folks,  somehow the stubborn, persistent dandelion is a favorite among the children. And what mother does not covet the times her young children bring her a fistful of the yellow flowerheads, bursting as brightly as the sun on a summer's day?

My first dandelion bouquet of the season was given to me this weekend as we enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures on the east coast. My seven-year-old son bound across the front lawn, racing toward me with the biggest grin on his face, hands holding onto his treasure for dear life.

"Here, mommy, to the most beautiful woman in the whole world." (Yes, he really says these things, although I know there will come a day...")

I took the flowers (?) and thanked him profusely.

"I know just where I'm going to put these," I told him.

We marched inside and I took out the special "mommy's pot" that was given to me by my colleague, Liz, when I had my first child.  As she explained, the mommy pot -- about the size of my thumb -- was for all those bunches of wild flowers my children would proudly bring to me over the years. In truth, the mommy pot has probably been the most used item I ever received as a baby gift. It's tiny cavity has been filled countless times with two tablespoon of water and lots of stems.

We put the bright yellow display on the kitchen windowsill. When I look at it, this simple little mommy pot, I always smile as I think of old friends, growing up children, and the new memories that are made with every change of the season.