Daffodils!

I believe in planting daffodils. I remember reading an article in the Readers Digest about a person who created a breathtaking field of daffodils by planting bulbs diligently every fall to bloom in the spring. It was called "The Daffodil Principle" written by Jaroldeen Edwards. The idea of contributing to the beauty of the earth in that way impressed me, and I silently vowed to do my part.  I planted in my flower bed and even in my lawn in NE, KS, and IL. But somehow I lost my momentum: Minnesota was too cold; West Virginia was too shady. My magnificent dream was neglected and then forgotten. Years passed with nary a bulb being placed on Stoker soil. And then... last Saturday, there I was at the hardware store in October. My husband was in the plumbing department. so I was browsing around the pretty things and I came upon them--daffodils. I remembered my past promise to the earth and was encouraged by the little "deer resistant" stamp on the package. I felt so happy as I walked to the car with my bag of replete double pink bulbs.

Today while I joyfully planted, I thought of the hope manifested by my task. Y'all know I love flowers. I'm a fan of purchasing bedding plants that are already blooming, but that only requires a teeny bit of hope--stay beautiful and hope that no hungry animal eats them for breakfast. This year I also planted some zinnia seeds. I hoped for their growth and flowering beauty and was rewarded within a few weeks. But bulbs take a special long term hope, a hope that even though the harvest is waning, the leaves changing and soon all but the evergreens will be asleep, it's the hope that winter is only a season. The earth that looks to be void of life is not dead, only dormant, waiting to be awakened by promised spring. That much hope felt right in my heart.

My hope felt right because we can believe in good things yet to come. Winter isn't meant to last forever. By planting bulbs I'm reminding the cold season of hardship that it cannot stay. Come if you must, but soon earth will thaw, branches will bud, birds will chirp, and brave little daffodil shoots will peak through the ground, thrilling us with their sweet green promise of life. And the world will warm and live.

And that's why I love daffodil bulbs. Because I believe in hope.