We all know a person that loves their garden, they may even
be you, but my mother loves her garden for a special reason.
As a child I remember each year she’d take up more and more
room in our backyard to grow more flowers which for 21 years she has grown,
bunched and sold on the Echunga Main Street for Juvenile Arthritis. She does
this between ANZAC and Mother’s Day. During this there are many community
members who come together and show their support not only for the work my
mother is doing, but for the 1 in 1000 Children in Australia living with
Juvenile Arthritis.
I remember one year spending part of this time in hospital
for Juvenile Arthritis related surgeries, but it didn’t stop the community passion
to help support Children living with Arthritis. While my mother spent time in
hospital with me, the volunteers were at our home creating bunches of flowers,
as they knew that I wasn’t the only one living like this and by them helping
more people would learn about the condition.
Another story is about the many times throughout the years
when it would rain just before Mother’s Day. Now my mother spends all year
cutting, watering and pouring a whole heap of love into these flowers and when
the week before Mother’s Day the rain comes and ruins her work, it’s a hard
thing to watch.
I need to mention these aren’t any flowers, they’re the
special Mother’s Day flower; Chrysanthemums. Their unique smell and bright
colours they’re the perfect flower to give a special lady or person. If you
need a reason to grab someone a gift or add some colour to your home, head through
Echunga between ANZAC and Mother’s Day to show your support for the 1 in 1000
Children in Australia living with Juvenile Arthritis.