What Better Name...

I know “Mother’s Day” has come and gone for this year.  But within this past week I’ve noticed the sudden appearance of Irises in my neighbourhood.  They seem to grow wild along with lilacs and I’m amazed at their resilience. 

My husband recently dug up a bunch of irises because he was putting a tool shed where they were planted.  He left them in a pile and I started to transplant them wherever I could find space.  This took a few days and I ran out of room before I could get them all relocated.  I felt sheepish realizing that a large amount still sat in the pile, waiting for a permanent home.  As I tried to go on with my life, I kept having that nagging feeling that the irises were still there waiting for me to take responsibility for them.

Finally, with casual shame and after several days of hot weather, I approached the pile of mistreated irises.   Expecting to find pathetically shrivelled plants fit only for the yard waste bin, I screeched to a stop, almost tipping my wheelbarrow.    Instead of gasping for air and giving up on life, the irises had taken advantage of their situation.

They just grew, even with the absence of nutrients.  No special soil or fertilizer…(no soil at all actually)…they just seemed to dig in and grow right where they were.  Not only that, but they had begun to bloom.  I was pretty amazed. 

That’s when I started to notice that around the neighbourhood in unlikely places, irises were blooming.  In ditches, on dusty hillsides and between rocks they stood in glorious groups of purple, yellow and even white.  In amongst weeds and debris there they were,,,thriving….standing strong and beautiful.

This made me think of my mom.  (Did I mention her name was Iris?)

She didn’t have an easy life.  Her childhood was difficult and her adulthood wasn’t much better.  She faced a lot of trials and unfair situations but still she managed to stay strong.  She took what life gave her and made it work.   It was simple things that made her happy and caused her to bloom.  She was a survivor who stood strong and beautiful amidst the most unlikely circumstances.   

What better name for my mom than Iris?