Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Daffodil Promises


The first fall after we moved into our house we planted daffodil buds all along the fence that faces the street. Every year the lovely yellow flowers brighten our yard. Ohio winters being what they are we eagerly look forward to their blooming each year, as they signal (we hope) the coming of spring at last.

I have come to admire the way these flowers push themselves up through all the leftover fallen  leaves of the previous year.

 
Some years they must poke through late snow. Each year seems like a small miracle. Some years the miracle takes on greater meaning.

A few years back, March was a hideous month.  We marked the 20th anniversary of the death of a dear friend.  The mother of one of my daughter's friends died suddenly in her late 20's. A week later one of my closest friends learned her son had leukemia.   That particular Midwestern winter seemed particularly dreary,  March just dragged on and on. But on the 30th (really a week or two early) I found this in the yard and posted it to my Facebook page:

And somehow things felt better.

So for the last few years I have paid even more attention than before to the sprouting and blooming of our daffodils.  The little green spikes push their way up first, then the tips become yellow.


 At this point  I tend to become impatient, willing them to finally open.

Monday morning when I left for work, I checked the daffodils as usual, but none had opened yet.  I found this inexpressibly depressing. It was Monday, and I was headed to work, and still there were no daffodils.  It was beautiful day too, which meant I stared out the window at the sunshine between calls at work. (Call volume in a 911 center goes way up when the weather gets nicer.) I have seldom been happier to get on a bus at the end of the day. As I made the turn around the corner to our fence I saw this:
 
 Its such a little thing really, but ever since that miserable March a few years ago, this ritual watch for the yellow flowers has become surprisingly important to me.  In the deadest, most depressing time of the year,when it really doesn't seem to be warm enough yet for flowers, a little bit of green and yellow pushes its way through last year's dead leaves and whatever remains of the snow. And part of me feels challenged to do the same.

 Hope returns when the daffodils bloom.


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36 comments:

  1. I love this piece. So true. Nature's renewal sometimes all we need to garner a little hope.

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    1. Thank you Linda. The funny thing is, I never liked Daffodils that much when I was younger, compared to other flowers, but I have come to appreciate them as I have matured and gotten more into sync with the seasonal cycles.

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  2. Lovely post. Made me take a deep breath...helped a ton!Thanks!

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    1. Thank you Zoe, that's just what I was hoping for!

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  3. Love when the flowers start blooming- and daffodils certainly do bring cheer :)

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    1. They are cheery flowers aren't they? We have a lot of fancier flowers, roses and dahlias and irises and more, but it will be a month or more before they show themselves. The daffodils are the leadoff hitters of our garden, so to speak.

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  4. For me, it's hearing the peepers every spring that gets me excited.

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    1. When I start seeing the cardinals and robins around, that's a good sign too.

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  5. Lovely post. I am eager to see our daffodils bloom too. I think we could all use a little dose of sunshine right now after such a long winter.

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    1. Thank you Kathleen. It really brightened my Monday to see them waiting for me when I got home.

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  6. There really is nothing sunnier and more optimistic than a daffodil. I love the way the yellow glows against the still dreary spring backdrop.

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    1. Thanks Vanessa that sums it up perfectly!

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  7. Your last sentence was perfect.

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  8. I love daffodils! You did a great job explaining why they mean so much to you.

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  9. This was a great read about hope and sunshine when there doesn't seem to be much.

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    1. Thank you Peach, the daffodil made my day, so I figured I would share it with everyone else.

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  10. I love daffodils! They truly are a sign of spring and new growth. Great post!

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  11. Great post. I'm definitely looking for the daffodils on my way home from work this afternoon.

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    1. With a little luck we can all find some spring today.

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  12. I love our daffodils. My girls are old enough this year to enjoy all the flowers in our yard and watch them grow and bloom. Its a great way to start the spring!

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    1. Our daughter was two when we moved in, and she helped me plant the original bulbs. Now she's a teenager and we still have daffodils.

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  13. I've been grinning at the tulip shoots that are coming up all week. I love those first signs of spring!

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    1. Even when one doesn't mind winter, it stills feels good to watch the seasons turn.

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  14. It really is the little things that can brighten your day. Where I'm from, I wait for the Jacarandas to bloom...

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    1. You are right Natalie, it doesn't take much to lift those winter blahs.

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  15. I love Daffodils! They are such happy flowers. And, really, it IS a miracle that they lie dormant all winter, only to sprout back up in the spring. Happy post :)

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    1. Thank you Kianwi. We have roses and irises and day lilies, along with some herbs, that come back every year too, and its always a miracle. But the daffodils lead the parade.

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  16. The small bursts of color really do lift the spirits. Happy spring to you!

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    1. They really do, don't they? Thanks for stopping by Michelle.

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  17. I thought of your post this morning when I spied a daffodil in our backyard. Of course, the poor thing got beat up by the thunderstorms that rolled through. But it is hanging in there!

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    1. Funny you should mention that because
      I was thinking when I came home ronight, that it was a good thing we had that beautiful sunny day on Monday, and that I took those pictures when I did, because they are looking a bit waterlogged now.

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  18. My heart was skipping a beat over how beautiful that last line was. I hoe those flowers continue to bloom for you. Beautiful post!

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    1. Thank you so much Adrienne, I am glad you liked it.

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