WEST NORRITON — When words aren’t easy to come by, the language of flowers will tell them they’re not forgotten.

Twenty-six women who lost their husbands in active military duty since 2001 were surprised when Plaza Flowers delivered Mother’s Day bouquets to their doors this weekend.

The wives are also mothers, so the flowers are a way of remembering the children who lost their fathers as well, noted the shop’s co-owner Chris Drummond, who partnered with the charity Snowball Express.

“There are all these single moms who lost their husbands in action, so when Snowball Express, which was started as a way to help these kids, asked me to do this I was glad to help,” said Drummond.

From Friday through Sunday afternoon, Drummond’s deliverymen hit the streets throughout eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

“As a percentage of my business, it’s just a drop in the bucket, so I was happy to donate the flowers and the labor for a good cause,” he said.

Plaza Flowers designers toyed with the notion of creating patriotic-style arrangements, but Drummond liked the idea of staying true to the holiday spirit.

So pink peonies and lavender lilacs ultimately won out over red, white and blue carnations.

“We made up pretty, colorful vases of assorted fresh flowers that I think the women will enjoy more,” he said. “Roses, lilies and Gerbera daisies are always popular for Mother’s Day. And tulips are still in season, so it was a nice mixture. All the arrangements are a little different, which was nice.”

Because Plaza Flowers is one of the few shops that delivers on Sundays, some of the women would be treated to their floral gifts on the day that moms everywhere are being celebrated.

“I’m really surprised more florists don’t deliver on Sunday,” Drummond said. “There’s always a need for people to express their sentiment, whether it’s on a Sunday or any other day. So we deliver 52 Sundays a year, and have been doing that for 26 years, since day one.”

With a goal to bring together the families of fallen military heroes, Snowball Express began in 2006 to “bring hope and new memories to the wives and children,” said founder Lt. Col Roy White, speaking on his cell phone before boarding a plane in California.

“We’re only 3 years old, but we’re probably the most unknown organization that’s had such huge events.”

Those events include a gathering held in Disneyland last year that drew 1,437 people, 900 of them children.

“American Airlines donated the transportation and the pilots worked for free,” said White, a former fighter pilot and now a captain with Southwest Airlines. “There are over 8,000 children who have lost a mother or father since 9/11, all serving in the military. Over half of those are non-combat related deaths. That’s about 4,000 families, with two children per family — and those are just the ones with children.”

White said he is continually touched by the gratitude of the mothers attending Snowball gatherings.

“One mother told me that coming to Snowball for five days meant more than a year’s worth of counseling to her children. We’re hoping we can reach more families who don’t yet know about us. By going to our Web site (www.snowballexpress.org) and registering, they can take advantage of a free trip and have a life-changing experience for themselves and their children.”

White confessed that the Mother’s Day flower-delivery mission came together with little advance planning. In addition to the East Coast states covered by Plaza Flowers, Snowball Express has enlisted the help of florists in California, where the organization is based.

“Because of the kindness of the florists in your state of Pennsylvania, we were able to do this with very little notice. But we’re hoping next year we can do it in every state, and be able to send a simple note to these mothers that, on behalf of your children, we thank you and want you to know that you will never be forgotten.”

Drummond said he was flattered when the Kids Flower Foundation, which develops flower fundraising programs across the country, recommended him to Snowball Express as a guy who would be willing to help.

“I think Snowball was kind of nervous that a florist might want some money for this, but I look at it as an honor,” he said. “I never served our country in the military, so this is a small piece I can do as a tribute for their sacrifice and our liberty.”

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