What did Vin mean by leaving Mare's flower picture for Sazed?

Question

Mistborn series book 3, The Hero of Ages, end of chapter 10, as Vin leaves Sazed:

She left him alone in the tent. A few moments later, he returned to his shaving, and found something sitting beside his basin. A small, folded piece of paper.
It contained an aged, fading drawing of a strange plant. A flower. The picture had once belonged to Mare. It had gone from her to Kelsier, and from him to Vin.
Sazed picked it up, wondering what Vin intended to say by leaving him the picture. Finally, he folded it up and slipped it into his sleeve, then returned to his shaving.

_{Emphasis mine}

I can't figure out what Vin's intention is either. I assume there is some intention, since the text explicitly calls this moment out as having an intention. So, what did Vin intend to say by leaving the picture?

Answer 1

From what I can recall, Mare gives the drawing to Kelsier as a symbol of hope, and a reminder that there was a world before the Lord Ruler damaged it by his changes.

I decided that I’d see her dream fulfilled. I’d make a world where flowers returned, a world with green plants, a world where no soot fell from the sky...." He trailed off, then sighed. "I know. I’m insane."

- The Final Empire chapter 17

Kelsier passes the drawing onto Vin for similar reasons, partly because Kelsier is very good at knowing how to inspire people via various means.

After the events of the first book where Kelsier is killed by the Lord Ruler, Vin is left to pass this onto Sazed for exactly the same reasons, to keep his hope alive. This is especially important to Sazed as in the third book, because he is close to giving up on his religious studies, and if I recall correctly ditching his copperminds, which are essential for the ending of that series and controlling the combined powers of Ruin and Preservation.

At the end of the book, Sazed makes sure to restore flowers, based on information from the Larasta religion that Mare followed, and place the bodies of Vin and Elend in them.