Daffodils

The daffodil is one of my favorite flowers. My reasons for why this is my favorite flower has changed over the years. At first, I loved this flower because it symbolized less chores. Flowers seemed to make my grandmother very happy and if she was happy everyone was happy, because it meant she gave out less chores. I was so grateful when I saw the cluster of blooms in the vases around the house. It meant spring was here, since daffodils are among the first spring buds to flourish.

A little later, daffodils became the symbol of friendship. Several students brought yellow tulips to the teachers. It was during this time that I learned that the color yellow means friendship. I brought daffodils. Mostly because they were the only yellow flowers that grew in the front yard. The act of sharing my yellow with the teachers led me to my next reason for choosing daffodils as my favorite flower. They were distinctly unique among the tulips that were given to the teachers. The daffodils had a regal, postured look as they sat among the tulips. Watching the trumpet-shaped structure set against the star-shaped background was almost like having 2 flowers in one. The uniqueness of this flower registered in my soul.

During my college years, my love renewed for the daffodil, because they seemed to grow anywhere. I would see this flower along the side of the road. I would see this flower growing in open fields among wildflowers. Seeing the daffodil grow in what seemed like harsh environments, renewed my view on my situation when classes got tough. If a little flower, like the daffodil, could persevere, then so could I.

Later, when I decided to get married. The daffodil was a true representation of beauty and simplicity. Because daffodils grow anywhere, it was easy and inexpensive for my husband then, to provide me with a beautiful bouquet. The simplicity of it was a reminder that marriage doesn’t have to be too hard. It wasn’t until my first son was born, that the daffodil changed meaning to more of how I see it today. One Easter Sunday, while standing outside the church, my son ran up to me with a daffodil in hand and said “Mommy, look. This flower is trying to kiss God. It’s got lips.” I smiled and thanked God for little flower that blooms early in spring to kiss God just in time for Easter.

I thanked God for all the things the daffodil has come to mean in my life, like freedom, and not just from chores like it did when I was little. It symbolizes friendship, because to this day I have several friends that send me daffodils or cards in yellow envelopes as a reminder of our friendship. It symbolizes uniqueness. That’s why we’re all different. The daffodil symbolizes durability. It looks like such a delicate flower, but it’s the perseverance that a daffodil shows that reminds me to press on when things get tough. The daffodil symbolizes simplicity. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have beauty and love represented in your life. The daffodil is a representation that there is a God that loves me more than I will ever be able to express. Just looking at the daffodil you can see the Hebrew Star of David, which is sometimes referred to as the Shield of David, with a trumpet in the center that heralds a kiss to God.

Like the daffodil, Jesus provides freedom from the toils of life, a friendship beyond imagination, a reminder that we are all designed uniquely by the hand of God, strength during the struggle. He’s the bridegroom to the church and the shield that protects you with His love. The daffodil is truly one of my favorite flowers.