Dear Reader:

I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day….Mother Nature sure came through for us yesterday, didn’t she? Mandy and John were glad the pool could be “christened” for the first time with the family members who were gathered.

Here are a few quick photos from my Mother’s Day….we had a brunch (delicious) and just a fun day  hanging by the pool and resting after eating!

Mandy showed me the cards she got from the children’s schools…too cute! First Jakie’s…

Then Eva Cate gave Mandy a little booklet she had made…here are two entries:

Eva Cate finishes strong, however, with this last response: “she was born for the family and me.” (And she was!)

Tommy brought Pip.

It was Eva Cate who fell in love with this little dog and carried Pip around everywhere.

…And it was Jakie who was completely enamored with Tommy…he turned himself completely around hunting for him all day! “Good Tom Hunting.”

* But I got to get a little sugah!

Kaitlyn braved the chilly pool with grace.

 The “kids” got me a Belks gift card…I will put it to good use! Love it!

Kaitlyn decorated some mason jars and made me this happy flower arrangement. I love sunflowers….thank you Kaitlyn and Tommy!

We discovered Walsh, Mollie, Rutledge, and Lachlan had all gone to Lassie and Steve’s mountain home for the weekend…so they weren’t here. I came across these two pictures to show Mollie…the circle of life. ( Walsh and me and Mollie and Lachlan)

Saturday when Anne and I went to Hollow Tree Nursery I decided to buy two beautiful yellow day lilies. (Title Photo)  The name of the lilies are “Happy Returns.”

* Of course Saturday the blooms on the lilies were wide open…and Sunday afternoon, while I was typing away, the lilies had all closed and the earlier ones fallen off…After all…they  just get one day to shine. * But by the time you read this blog I feel sure the buds on the day lilies will be back in full bloom.

I came across a touching, true story about a young man and some lilies… and a gift of a different type of “Happy Returns.”

Source: Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul: ” The Day the Lilies Bloomed” – Jane Eppinga

His name was Frank Luke, Jr. and today his statue stands tall in front of the old capitol building in Phoenix, Arizona. Luke was a fighter pilot during World War I  and in less than a month he downed eighteen enemy aircraft…becoming one of only four fighter pilots awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in WWI.

In the old family Bible an unusual event has been recorded for posterity…far away from the skies above France.

At age 20, Frank enlisted in the army…fascinated by the new flying machines just invented. He was accepted into flight training and commissioned a second lieutenant…Before departing for France he was given a 14 day leave to be with his family… one last time before heading off to war.

One day, Tilly, his mother, asked Frank if he would mind “terribly” planting some lily bulbs for her…the weather was perfect for the job. Frank adored his mother and gladly consented. 

Frank’s tour of duty was fairly uneventful until September of 1918…when he became known as the “Balloon Buster” shooting down three planes and two balloons in less than ten minutes. The press dubbed him America’s “ace of aces.”

Back home his mother carefully cut out every article about her son that was written in the newspapers. Then, one day, on September 29, Tilly walked outside and discovered that all the bulbs Frank had planted were blooming away….but it was not the right season. Even stranger…the lilies formed the cross-like shape of a World War I airplane.

She called all the family together and everyone commented that the lilies should have bloomed in June, not the end of September. Word spread and photographers swarmed the yard taking pictures for the Sunday edition of the paper.

Amid the wonder, Tilly’s heart was heavy…she felt that something was wrong with Frank…but she kept brushing her tears away so no one else suspected.

On November 25, two weeks after the Armistice ended WWI… Tillie’s fears were realized. The Red Cross informed them that Frank was missing in action.

They learned later that Frank was wounded, after shooting down three German observation balloons on his last mission. He managed to land without crashing but his wounds were so severe he died later that day.

Frank Luke, Jr. had made his final heroic flight on September 29…the day the lilies bloomed.

………………………….

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for special signs assuring us that You hold our dearly beloved right next to you. After all…aren’t we told:

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh