It was I who had no mother. Me, Lily Bloo. I don’t know much about her, but all I know is that she died 2 years ago. I have always looked for signs of her, and smelled her clothes. All just because I wanted her here with me. I’m only 11. When I ask my dad about mama, he reminds me of how young I am. All I do is sigh and say, “I’m goin’ out to the garden.”
Our garden was the finest in South Carolina. I haven’t been out there in a while, but it had the most beautiful flowers. There were roses, tulips, and mamas favorite, daisies. I faintly remember me askin’ her why daisies were her favorite. And she’d always answer, “Because Daisy is my middle name.” Hailey Daisy Bloo, she was called. I thought that was the most spectacular name anyone could ever have.
I decided to walk out to the garden, now that I’m thinkin’ about it. All my thoughts were ramblin’ around my brain as I took those 10 short steps from my door to my favorite place in the whole wide world. Why did mama die? Where is she? Can she see me right now? But as I approached the garden, I realized somethin’ so obvious, but I have never noticed it before.
All the daisies were gone. Out of all the flowers that we had in our garden, it had to be the daisies? Mama’s favorite flowers had disappeared. They didn’t die, because there were fresh holes in the soil where they used to be. Mama couldn’t have them with her. She wouldn’t hide them from me and dad. And at that moment, I got down on my hands and knees and cried, for mama.
I needed to clear my mind. I got up, paced for a few steps, and sat back down in criss cross applesauce style. “Mama,” I spoke to the sky. “Where are your daisies?” I looked around me. Dark clouds were formin’ about a mile away. I got up and stepped on the rocks that surrounded the garden. The clouds were approachin’ faster. My feet were beginnin’ to trip over themselves and I felt like a little toddler, just learnin’ how to walk. I heard a huge boom of thunder.
I saw a stray leaf in the garden and I couldn’t help but wonder why a green leaf would be doin’ in our garden when all our trees leaves were red. As I bent down to pick it up, my father’s voice startled me. “Lily, the storm is hittin’ hard, come now!” he screamed. In a rush, I swooped my hand down to grab the leaf, all the while being drenched by an angry, steady rain. I was runnin’ with as much ambition as a mother bear would run to save her cub. In my haste, I couldn’t see the mud at my feet. As I slowly began to tumble to the ground, something in my heart, or maybe just my instincts told me not to let this leaf escape from between my wet fingers.
In the dim light of my bedroom, I finally saw what I thought was a leaf all this time. But it is so much more than that. I had found the most beautiful green colored paper with the prettiest handrwritin’. It was a letter stamped with what looked like a wing above a cloud. It read:



Lily darlin’ your mama’s daisies are gone because I didn’t
want them to die. I will replace them when the spring time comes. Your mama says hello and she wants me to see if you are ok.
Know that your mama is always with you and the sun is a symbol of
her warmth in your heart.

And at that moment, I thought to myself, mama is starting a brand new life and she will always comfort me no matter where she is. I looked up into the sky and saw the sun peekin’ through and I could feel the warmth in my heart