White Roses for an Eternal Bond

May 13, 20129 min read

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Published: May 13, 2012

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There is a song, White Rose of Athens, sung by Nana Mouskouri, and with its haunting lyrics, it was one of my mother's favorites. "So goodbye my love till then Till the white rose blooms again" I had been living in Athens Greece for six years, and it was from there that I sent my mother the first gift of white roses as a "Mother's Day" gift. But I sent it on my birthday. In my early twenties, I came to the realization that my birthday was not only about me being born on that day. The special day was also about my mother, who had given me the most wonderful gift of all... life! How can it be that Mother's Day and Birthdays have been so unnaturally "separated?"

White Roses for an Enternal Bond

By jeanpat

May 13, 2012

There is a song, White Rose of Athens, sung by Nana Mouskouri, and with its haunting lyrics, it was one of my mother’s favorites.

"So goodbye my love till then

Till the white rose blooms again"

I had been living in Athens Greece for six years, and it was from there that I sent my mother the first gift of white roses as a “Mother’s Day” gift. But I sent it on my birthday. In my early twenties, I came to the realization that my birthday was not only about me being born on that day. The special day was also about my mother, who had given me the most wonderful gift of all... life! How can it be that Mother’s Day and Birthdays have been so unnaturally “separated?”

I wanted Mom to know that even though it was my birthday, my thoughts were also about her. The note that I included in that first bouquet read, “I have never thanked you for bringing me into this world. I would like to do that now with these white roses from Athens”. Every year after that first gifting, the white roses, the symbol of our eternal bond, were sent to her on my birthday, and needless to say that each time she was genuinely touched and loved the gesture.

Just six short years after this birthday tribute started, my mother was taken away from me forever. Now I could never again send those beloved roses to her. With her passing, we were once again separated, at least until we meet again.

"The summer days are ending in the valley

And soon the time will come when we must be apart

Now you must start your journey to the sailing

And leave me till another spring-time comes around"

Why don’t we avoid the Hallmark cliché for Mothers Day and create more personal gifts linking our birthdays with Mothers day? And why don’t we all evolve from the concept of “birthdays” to focus as much on the mother giving birth as the child being born? Let us not forget the eternal bond between mother and child.

"So goodbye my love till then

Till the white rose blooms again"

Mom has been gone for many years now, and in place of those roses, I light a candle for her on my birthday every year. Silently, I thank her for giving me life.