I love the color yellow. I especially love the springtime yellows that are popping up all over the place right now in eastern Pennsylvania. Daffodils and honeysuckle bushes are my favorites. With the sight of daffodils, I feel like Spring is shouting – HERE I AM! And when I take in the sweet aroma of the fresh honeysuckle bushes, I feel as though I’m being cleansed from the outside in. It is glorious to walk amongst these yellows!

Yesterday, as I turned the last corner to head home from my meditative walk, I came upon a home that has been for sale for quite some time. While all the other homes I had already passed had freshly cut and vibrantly green lawns, this one was in desperate need of some care. Most noticeably were the dandelions. They were everywhere. I know they are weeds, but their bright yellow petals seemed to be dancing among the high grasses and I could not help but smile. It felt like they were singing to me…and then two beautiful memories of my mother entered my heart…

• I remembered the way my mother would hold a dandelion under my chin and then under hers to show me how our skin would turn a bright, shining gold from the reflection of the “flower”…
• I remembered gathering a bouquet of dandelions and presenting them to my mom when she was busy in the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon…even though she knew they were weeds, she would put them in a little cup by the sink with gratitude for my thoughtfulness…

I love how a simple weed, something that people do their best to be rid of, allowed me to time-travel to two moments when life wasn’t about paying the bills or doing the laundry or writing papers. For a twinkling in time, I was just a little girl, smiling about golden chins and how many dandelions this yard before me offered for a bouquet for my mom.