Daily Daffodil 4/21

Every year I look forward to the first spring flowers. I don't mind the winter with its cold an snow, but I must admit I always feel a bit jipped. Growing up in sunny Arizona has left me with a sense that winter should really be about blue skies and mild days. For me, spring signals the start of the way weather should be.

After the bland grays and browns of winter, the first few spring flowers are always so lovely to my color starved eyes. Crocus, hyacinth, daffodil, and tulip all defy the cold and even withstand the spring snows that are sure to come. Daffodils have long been one of my favorite flowers. They are cheerful and resilient- coming back year after year and naturalizing. I have one patch of daffodils in my back yard that are always my first flowers to bloom- they are my Grandma's daffodils. Several years ago, when my Grandma Wessman was moving from her home on Bryan Avenue, I went and dug up several starts from plants as well as some bulbs. Last April as I watched Grandma make the transition to the next life, her flowers were a bittersweet reminder of her life. This year they have been a joyful reminder of her life and all the things I learned from her.

Three things that I learned from my Grandma are filling my mind this year. The first is an appreciation for beauty and nature. The second is trying to find the good in any situation and the last is expressing love and appreciation in letters. As a birthday celebration for my Grandma Wessman, I am going to try a little project for the next month. I will post a Daily Daffodil on my blog. I hope you will enjoy.

Dear Grandma,
One time when we were visiting, your driveway was getting redone. I don't remember the whole story, but you had learned that instead of leaving the small strip of garden down one side of the driveway, the workers were going to pour the cement right up to the house. We spent that afternoon and into the night digging up flowers and plants and transplanting them all over the yard. Every single flower was important.

I will always remember a certain death march to Calf Creek Falls when you taught me it is better to sing songs than to complain about how hot it was, how dry it was, and how deep the sand was.

Another thing that I have always appreciated was the time you took to write personal messages in our Birthday cards. You were always so positive and made specific references to things in our lives. I always felt loved. I love you!

Love,
Becky