Story by Mikey Parada, Summer 2022
A flower I’ve always adored is the white hydrangea due to its lavish number of petals and wonderfully round shape. It is large, soft, and looks like a cloud on a stem. When I brush the petals and cup the hydrangea in my hands it feels like holding satin. It was a flower my neighbors would grow every single year and still continue to grow without failure. My grandma and I would go grocery shopping together very often and stop underneath the large hydrangea bush to catch some shade on a hot day. The neighbors would often tell us it was okay to take one or two home because there were just so many that would bloom. My grandma was a little shorter than me so I’d always be the one reaching to get one for her because she loved them so much.
Every time I go to the corner store or on a walk to the park I always pick a fresh hydrangea for her even if she’s not here with me. It’s a flower that represents her and allows me to feel her presence in a way. The hydrangea has become a plant that connects me to my loved one. I have my own definitions for the flower but when searching up what symbolism it carries I found: gratitude, grace, and beauty. In the sense of gratitude, my grandma would always tell me each day how thankful she is for being able to see the sun rise and fall.