Orphaned Boy Grows Mom's Favorite Flowers to Bring to Her Grave, Sees Over 50 Bouquets There – Story of the Day

A boy grieving his mother's loss tends to her garden and brings her favorite flowers to her grave, only to be surprised. He finds her grave adorned with more than 50 beautiful bouquets and a letter addressed to him.

Little Liam's eyes welled up with tears as he looked at his mother's garden. The roses and marigolds that once beautified the mini-garden were now withered and pale. Looking at them, all Liam could think of was his mom, who was gone.

In tears, the boy sat down and caressed a wilted rose. Its dry petals quickly fell off, and Liam couldn't hold back his tears. "I miss you, Mom," he sobbed. "I'm sorry I never helped you."

"Would you like to bring it back to life then?" asked a soft voice behind Liam.

It was Liam's grandmother Dorothy's voice. "I miss mom, Grandma," he cried. "She loved her garden. I want to make her happy. Will she be happy if I plant flowers like her?"

"As far as I knew Cynthia, she would be all smiles and proud of her little son. You know how much this garden meant to her, darling."

Before Liam knew it, he was in the garden with his grandma, planting new roses and chrysanthemums—the flowers that were Cynthia's favorite and which made her happy every time she saw them.

A few months ago, Cynthia was diagnosed with cancer. Stage 4, the doctors had said. After the diagnosis, Cynthia stopped working in the garden and looking after Liam. She was hospitalized, and Dorothy had stepped in to care for Liam.

Cynthia adored her garden and worked there every day, no matter how exhausted she was. Others may perceive it as a lot of work, but Cynthia saw it as a form of stress relief and healing. The garden had helped her cope with her husband's death.

After Cynthia died, Liam regretted never helping her out in the garden. He regretted not spending time with her and instead playing video games all day.

Kindness comes back in surprising ways.

So to make it up to her, he began working in the garden every day. He plucked the withered plants and sowed new seeds, watered the plants every day, and spent hours reading gardening books to bring back his late mother's garden to life. He could feel her presence in the garden, and it consoled his broken heart.

Soon after, Liam's efforts paid off. The garden, which looked dull and sad after Cynthia's demise, began glowing with life. The roses and chrysanthemums—Cynthia's favorite flowers—bloomed across the garden, swaying gently with the wind and reviving her memories.

"They look beautiful, Gran!" Liam told her excitedly. "But there are so many! What do we do with them?"

Dorothy laughed. "These flowers, Liam, will wither rapidly. They could be given away or sold. It all depends on what you want to do."

"Should I sell them or give them away?" Liam mused silently. Then an idea occurred to him...

That day, Liam plucked all of the fully grown flowers and made bouquets out of them. Then he walked around his small town, handing them out to all the women—ladies, girls, and elderly grandmothers. Because their town was so small, everyone knew everyone else.

"Oh, thank you, child," an elderly woman said as she accepted the flowers. "May the Lord bless you!" And Liam had a big smile on his face.

That's what Liam did for two days. He brightened other people's days and brought a smile to their faces by gifting them bouquets.

On the third day, he visited Cynthia's grave with the last bouquet he had, oblivious to the surprise that awaited him.

As Liam arrived at his mother's grave, he saw more than 50 different bouquets surrounding it. They were made with different kinds of flowers—roses, marigolds, and lilies. Dorothy had accompanied him and was sitting on a bench not very far from the gravestone.

"Who brought so many flowers for mom?" Liam thought as he sat down and examined the bouquets. The flowers were fresh. Someone had left them there very recently.

Soon after, he saw a letter stuck to the cellophane around one of the bouquets. He opened it and began reading.

"Dear Liam,

Thank you for your lovely flowers. They were just as sweet as your innocent smile. What a brave and beautiful boy you are!

We were saddened to learn about your mother's death, darling, and wanted to do something to make you smile, just as you did for us. So to honor your beautiful mother's memory, we wanted to offer her flowers and pray for her soul and family's safety. She raised a wonderful son, and we hope her soul rests in peace. Keep smiling, child. God's blessings are always on you. Thank you for your lovely gesture.

— From the women who smiled because of you.

A smile appeared on Liam's lips as he laid the bouquet of chrysanthemums he'd brought for Cynthia on her grave. "A lot of people love you, mom. And I love you too. I promise I will be a good boy and keep working in the garden…"

That day, Liam sat beside his mother's grave and spent hours talking to her. When he was leaving, he could feel his mother smiling at him. That filled his heart with a sense of relief. He had made his mother happy.

What can we learn from this story?

• Death cannot break the bonds built with love. Even though Cynthia is no longer around him, Liam can feel her presence in her garden and in his heart.
• Kindness comes back in surprising ways. Liam's kindness in giving flowers to the women in his town came back to him in the form of love and blessings.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an orphaned girl who visited her late mother's grave every week and met her mom's carbon copy there one day.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.