This week Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays takes a look back at beauty and Mother’s Day. Remember you can take this beautiful topic anywhere you want to take it.
I’m also participating with Cee’s Midweek Madness: Purple, and with Cee’s Flower of the Day
Remember the interview of John Steiner the other day? Several of you asked about the twirling process. Click on his name in the caption, follow his excellent instructions, and you can do this to any colorful photo!
#Prescott Walk #12B: Blooming Hills Drive
The charm of some of the flowering undesirables started my thinking about this Writer’s Wednesday QuoteFs post about beauty and along with that age since mothers are always older than we are. Until suddenly we are the oldest mothers in the family.
Like Restless Jo said to me yesterday in a comment, “Do you sometimes have the feeling that someone is shortening your day when you’re not looking, Marsha?”
Yes, I definitely do! but I digress…
1 Purple Weed 
2 Purple Thistle 
3 Almost purple
“Some people, no matter how old they get, never lose their beauty – they merely move it from their faces into their hearts.”
Martin Buxbaum
Puppy Girl stopped frequently allowing me plenty of time to take some close up shots of the weeds. My favorite was the dandelion. I got to wondering if there was any beauty in fading, aging flowers. This flower, like number 3 above was not as pretty, but there was more going on inside the flower.
I am not a scientist, so if you have more information to offer about the beauty of this weed, feel free to chime in.
Inside this older flower, a spider had time to weave a little web and as the stamen had disintegrated, parts collected on the web. It looks like some tiny bugs had attached themselves. I saw a red leaf and the petals developed ruffled edges.
So the older plant offers more life to others. Its beauty has moved from its “face to its heart. ”
The Dandelion Allure
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
Confucius
Dandelions have a short enough life span that we we can examine their beauty over time. Even if you don’t want them in your yard, they are a bright spot. They are loaded with anti-oxidants, although if you eat too many you could get allergic reactions, including gas, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, or heartburn according to Web MD.
One post sited ten significant health and beauty benefits that dandelions offer us. Medical News Today spoke of research done with mice. If you feed your pet mouse dandelions, it will never suffer from high cholesterol, saggy skin, high blood pressure, high or low blood sugar or inflammation. You might not either if you can get past the stomach discomfort of eating too much dandelion soup.
Dandelion soup, dandelion soup If I don't get some, I think I'm going to droop. Take away my puncture vine Take away my spurge But don't take away my dandelion soup. © 2021 Marsha Ingrao
Beginning seedhead 
Middle-aged seedhead 
Old seedhead
Once they finish their usefulness as an antioxidant, they develop into a seedhead. Many think this is when they are the most beautiful. Fathers love when their children run around the yard collecting them and blowing on them. Like blowing out birthday candles or bubbles, the beauty is in the competition to see who can blow off the most seeds in one breath.
Getting back to the original topic of beauty and motherhood, I look in the mirror and I don’t see the beauty in getting older. But I look at the seedhead above, and I see that it gets more and more beautiful as it ages.
But is physical beauty what is most important in life? Some of the most arresting pictures of people are those with faces aged with life’s trials like Khmer Rouge prison Tuol Sleng, in Phnom Penh survivor in this article by Sarah Wilkies .
“It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.”
Leo Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata
The Beauty of Mothers
Born May 12 (today), 1926, my mama was not considered beautiful by worldly standards. Yet the older and more frail she got, the more beautiful and precious she was to me. She enchanted and charmed people with her wonderful stories and endearing smile.
Mom as a baby 
8th grade Mom
As a toddler, if Grandma didn’t tie her to the porch, she would wander down the street and have tea and cookies with each of the neighbors. She had her route.
At forty, she started life over as a single mom. Mom showed us what self-respect and bravery meant. She moved 2,500 miles taking her two children and with very little work experience, supported us, and expected us to contribute by being responsible and staying out of trouble. She went back to school and became a teacher. Even when she wasn’t smiling, we knew she loved us.
She taught us to care about our family, each other, and others. She never met a stranger, nor did we. The importance of education exuded from her life, and Randy and I both finished high school and got jobs. I went back to school later and earned my teaching credential, administrative credential and master’s degree. She was proud of both of us.
Mama loved purple.
Thank you Mom for showing us the power of inner beauty.
Writer’s Quotes Wednesdays Writing Challenge Logo 
What’s your story of beauty? Tell it with a quote.
Check Out These Fabulous Entries for Last Week
- Anita – Details *NEW FRIEND
- Cee – Details
- Frank Language
- Kirstin – Mind Candy
- Lady Lee – Spring poetry
- Sadje – Living the Good Life
- Terri – Weathering Memories
- TJIE – Bigger Beauty *NEW FRIEND
Thanks, friends. See you soon.
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
Your babbling is music to my ears. Please leave a comment!