Although I strive to inspire and write from my heart, I don’t often write personal posts. However, today I wanted to share my recent story about making my first flower essence with you, and our family's almost impossible journey. The story actually begins nine years ago. After two long years of medical testing and trying every natural thing under the sun, my beloved son was about to have brain surgery. I was beyond terrified. I was rising every day, an exhausted warrior: raw, tender, and always a mama bear that would literally do anything to protect her babe.

A couple of months before the surgery was scheduled, I had a plant dream about borage. Every time I dream of an herb, I pay close attention. It was January and there was no borage to be had in my garden. I started thinking about other ways I could use this herb, and read the description of borage flower essence. The message? Courage.

I went and got a borage flower essence and used it over the next several months. Courage. I learned so much in that time about my own Courage. My definition? You are scared, maybe even terrified, but you do it anyway, you rise.

Heartbreakingly, the time for Courage has come again. But this time the borage is blooming merrily in my garden. For many years I have wanted to make my own flower essence, and this was the perfect time to try.

I am also a beekeeper and have many native bees and honey bees in my garden. I do believe that bees are magical. After all, who else could gather nectar from a flower, beat their tiny wings over and over and over, and make it into honey, a magical substance all in itself? And don’t even get me started on beeswax! So I sat with Borage and noticed the bees loving it. After getting permission to gather from Borage herself, I started picking the flowers that the bees had just kissed.

I filled a small glass bowl with spring water and floated the flowers on top, setting it in the sun by my gardens. It sat there all day absorbing the beautiful late summer blue sky, and all night absorbing the stars and the moon. The next morning I strained it and bottled it with some whisky to preserve it. Courage.

As I write this, I sit at the children’s hospital, Borage with me, along with my gardens, the bees, sun, clouds, moon, and stars. I will need them all to get through this. Courage.

© Elaine Sheff, Clinical Herbalist