This came in my email today:

Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over."

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. "I will come next Tuesday, " I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren. I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to drive another inch!"

My daughter smiled calmly," We drive in this all the time, Mother." "Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears--and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her.

"I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car." "How far will we have to drive?" "Just a few blocks," Carolyn said, "I'll drive. I'm used to this." After several minutes I had to ask, "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!"

"We're going to my garage the long way," Carolyn smiled, "by way of the daffodils." "Carolyn," I said sternly, "please turn around." "It's all right, Mother. I promise you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church I saw a hand-lettered sign "Daffodil Garden."

We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped.

Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes.

The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. Five acres of flowers.

"But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman," Carolyn nswered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory.

We walked up to the house. On the patio we saw a poster: "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline. The first answer was a simple one: "50,000 bulbs," it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and very little brain." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

There it was. The Daffodil Principle. For me that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than thirty-five years before, had begun-one bulb at a time-to bring her of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world. This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at a time--learning to love the doing,learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!" My daughter summed up the message of the day in her direct way. "Start now," she said.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001

Answers

Wonderful. That is all I can say.

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001

WOW

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001

Beautiful Story.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Awesome, something to think about! TRen

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I want pictures!

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Wouldn't it be wonderful if this place could be made into a national park for others to come and see? But I suppose someone would decide to trash it if it became well known. I hope you are able to get some pictures so we are at least able to share in its beauty with you.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I am SO sorry! I HATE trying to read things all run together. I thought I had a copy that would post all right with paragraphs and everything. If you have trouble reading it, I could repost it. Or, you could copy the whole thing into a "new document", insert some paragraphs or double spacing, and read it that way.

I'm glad you enjoyed it though. I'd like to see them too. I don't even know if this is a true story or not, but who cares?

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

I went in and fixed the code, Joy.

The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at a time-- learning to love the doing,learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

Definitely words to live by, wouldn't you all agree?

Thanks for posting this, Joy.

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Thank you Jim! It's very frustrating to be unable to fix my boo- boos! I said you were nice, didn't I!

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2001

Yep, I do distinctly remember you saying that, Joy. Flattery and compliments will *always* work to your advantage when used on the moderator. Especially when it's sincere like yours have been. :-)

And yes, I remember it being frustrating when I'd make a spelling or HTML mistake on another forum and not have the ability to correct it. It's definitely nice being in the drivers seat for a change...

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2001

Joy,

This gave me hope today. I was bummed about how long it seems to take to get everything put togater - chicken tractor, duck pen, move rabbits' again, go weed again, but then I recall how little of this was done last June 3, and how much better it is now. My little world is changed, at least.

Thanks for sharing.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001