[washadjeffmad]

I spent 7 hours last night picking out and building pre-summer flower arrangements and gift bundles for our wonderfully patient and kind office managers.

If my grandmother hadn't been forced to learn ikebana as a young woman and continued that on her own in the US as a florist, and if I hadn't had to help her while I was growing up, I in all likelihood would never have been able to appreciate a good table setting or any of the floral arts, let alone thought to learn them as an independent pursuit - it had to start somewhere.

As an adult, I love it, and it used to melt the stress off my ex's face during the holidays when she was planning everything else and I said I'd take care of decorating.

Mother's Day is fast approaching, but there's never a bad time to appreciate what the women in your life have taught you and reflect on the effort it took to learn and pass it down.