In The Winter In My Home State, Rain Means Ice!

A January weekly prompt by reciprocal about rain:

I fell a few years ago and I am not happy about the freezing rain right now. I will attempt a prompt that was introduced for the last week of January on Reciprocal. I am one of the first to say and believe that water is life!

Growing up my mother saved rainwater to water her garden. She always said that is the best water for her plant growth. Then she would tell us how important water is. When we weren’t feeling well she would say, here drink this water.

A friend said once that if she came in with a broken arm, her mother would say, okay, drink this water first, and then we will go to the hospital to have your arm looked after. Not sure if other cultures are so focused on water being a healing medicine but mine is.

When first involved in counseling, a friend said to me, always offer a glass of water. It is the best medicine. And share with them about how healing it is as they didn’t all grow up knowing the importance of drinking water.

My mother didn’t believe in using lawn fertilizer or anything on her plants as she would say that poison would get into the water. Back then, I wasn’t so sure about all the things she would say about nature. Today, I am so glad to remember so many.

At different times my mother grew different plants in our house and each had a purpose. Then she would bring a few plants in for the winter and I just remember the smelly ones. They were geraniums and they were good at keeping the bugs away but they could get pretty awful smelling in the long winter, as she had so many.

I had 200 plants at one time in my house and that was without being a nursery. It was before I had children. It took me all morning Saturday just to water them. And of course, there was always something that needed extra care.

I just mentioned to my husband the other day that I am glad I have one plant that droops if it doesn’t get water every week as I don’t remember to water on the same day every week. He said, I know, I have been hearing how you are going to water on the same day every week for about ten years now!

Today, I have grown children and I have 8 plants. Purchased only because they take the toxins out of the air. I live in farm country. I enjoyed reading Jan Sebastian’s plant story on medium as she made it sound so easy.

I found a story from Neera Handa Dr about the sea that also reminded me of my mother and her beliefs. Mother was a storyteller and would tell stories of how water is life-giving and how it can also take life.

We were told to use our asema or kinnickinick or traditional tobacco whenever going into the water or whenever by the water. As kids, we would go swimming all of the time in the summer and sometimes in the other two seasons.

We could all swim and we needed to swim. Our mother was always telling us how healing the water is. And we should always leave nature the way we found it. My mother would say things like “My mother would be rolling over in her grave if she saw how things are today.”

They would both be rolling over to see how we buy water in plastic containers today!

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Published first by Reciprocal in Medium