Dear Mom,

We planted your marigold seeds today, mom, my girls and I. We were waiting for warm weather and the perfect day, and today was it! Last October when we were there and the marigolds were still blooming so beautifully and you took my girls out to gather seeds so that the excited Jennifer could take some along home to plant flowers of her own, I never guessed you wouldn't be here to tell when we planted them.

On the way home when a very sad Jennifer discovered the seeds hadn't gotten in with our stuff, I knew you would be certain to send them to her. You saved them in a ziploc bag and when March rolled around and a certain someone received an extremely special sunbonnet made by you for her birthday, tucked in the package were...the marigold seeds!

The bag has been stuck away in a drawer, just waiting for Winter to finally turn to Spring and the weather be warm enough to plant flowers. Today was the day, mom. Normally I would have told you all about it in our almost-daily-emails. Instead, while the girls planted and watered busily, the lump in my throat grew and the tears eventually spilled over the edge.

I miss you, mom. Living far away, most of the time I almost forget that you're not here anymore! The marigolds will remind me, mom. And I'm glad - the tears are healing.

Love, Bethany

P.S. I wonder what Heaven's marigolds look like?