In bloom

My dad loved a certain blooming vine in their yard called the Cherokee Rose. He was always excited when it started blooming and was sure to let us know so we could enjoy it, too. It started blooming during his last week after he was too weak to get to the window to take a look. I told him the vine was in bloom and how beautiful it was. He smiled. Last Sunday, on the second anniversary of Dad's death, the Cherokee Rose started to bloom. Mom had taken notice of it the day before and it was not yet blooming. So last Sunday evening after we left and my aunt left, Mom looked over at it and saw a bloom. We see it as anything but coincidence. A sign from someone or somewhere offering hope and beauty. And the realization that there is joy even in sadness.

I was a little curious about the name of the vine (since I have a bit of Cherokee in me) and this is what I found...

The Legend of the Cherokee Rose

No better symbol exists of the pain and suffering of the Trail Where They Cried ("Nunna daul Tsuny") than the Cherokee Rose. The mothers of the Cherokee grieved so much that the chiefs prayed for a sign to lift the mother's spirits and give them strength to care for their children. From that day forward, a beautiful new flower, a rose, grew wherever a mother's tear fell to the ground. The rose is white, for the mother's tears. It has a gold center, for the gold taken from the Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem that represent the seven Cherokee clans that made the journey. To this day, the Cherokee Rose prospers along the route of the "Trail of Tears". The Cherokee Rose is now the official flower of the State of Georgia.