Wish Flowers

What would we do without kids?  They force us to see beauty in the ordinary...or even the common nuisance.  Dandelions for example.  No homeowner wants them in their yard.  However, the boys think they're magical.

We were on a walk a couple weeks ago and found a good patch of them near the park.  I realized the boys hadn't ever seen one up close.  So I picked one for each of them and showed them how to make a wish.  Max thought it was the coolest thing ever.  Since that day he loves pointing out what he calls "Wish Flowers".  What a sweet name for a persistent, undesirable weed.

Now it's a "thing" on our walks.  We stop and pick Wish Flowers when we see them.

The other day Max saw someone mowing them along the Trolley Trail and was devastated.
"Why would they cut down all the Wish Flowers?!" he said.
His face was so sad and confused as he watched all of those would-be wishes being wasted.
Such sweetness.

As Mother's Day approached Max asked me what I wanted for a present...  

"I don't need anything," I said, "Maybe just draw me a picture?"  

Max thought for a minute then said,
"What about a whole bunch of Wish Flowers tied in a bow?  
Then you could have all the wishes you ever wanted!"
  
I told him that a bouquet of Wish Flowers picked by him was the most special, thoughtful present I could imagine.

My Max has the most tender heart.  Maybe its just because I'm his momma, but the way his mind works takes my breath away sometimes.

For instance this weekend we went Wish Flower picking yet again.  But this time he had an idea to leave Wish Flowers on random door steps in our neighborhood for people to find.
I asked him how he came up with that idea and he just shrugged.
"Everyone needs a wish." he told me frankly. 

I love the innocence and the way children see everything in their own way.  I'll never look at dandelions the same way again.  I have so much to learn from these boys.