May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ~Romans 15:13
It is not unusual here in Georgia for our daffodils to sprout their green fronds around the first week in February. Even though the temperatures remain quite daunting, they bravely herald the spring that is in the offing, providing hope for those of us ensconced in the winter doldrums.
So, why do I get so excited when I discover this daffodil budding? It is a part of a row of flowers who faithfully produce green shoots, but never bloom. All show, but no go.
Well, I won't say they never produce flowers, but it's only happened once in the sixteen years Danny and I have been married. Once!
Not only are flowers forming on other stalks in this group, but the full-blown daffodil below is the very first of all the daffodils sprinkled throughout our yard to open its face to the springtime.
Just the sight of this infuses me with fresh hope, a much-needed commodity after the trials and troubles of this past year, and the beginning of this one. These daffodils defy their history of dormancy, and vibrate with new life. New beginnings. New hope.
What I once saw as dead lives again.
All show becomes a go!
And I am filled to overflowing with the hope I have in God to fill us all with His joy and peace.
Amen!
There used to be a saying, "It's Friday but Sunday's coming." Alluding to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I like your harbinger of Spring Martha. It may be February but March is coming! Bring it on!!
ReplyDeleteI love that saying, Bill! Yes, the blooms have brought lots of hope and promise.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Yes, I always see these flowers as a sign of hope. New beginnings. Without hope we are nothing. Without trust we are lost.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Absolutely, Victor! Without hope, we are nothing and we have nothing.
DeleteLove and blessings!
After our recent polar plunge, it will be a while before these guys poke their heads up in our neighbhood.
ReplyDeleteI hear you loud and clear on that one, Glynn! Somehow, we dodged that arctic invasion, and though I would have enjoyed some snow, I'm glad for it now.
DeleteLove and blessings!
How exciting and so pretty. Cheers to new beginnings!
ReplyDeleteI love new beginnings, Martha!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Dearest Martha Jane,
ReplyDeleteWe have planted thousands of Heirloom daffodils, all heavily fragrant and most also double. But they bloomed ONLY for a few years. We have given up on them and have never understood why that is. The bulbs seem to be healthy and they produce lots of foliage but no blooms. Sad after all the investment and work. Daffodil bulbs are toxic to most critters that love to devour all other spring bulbs and make it into some gourmet food. We lost all our tulips like that! And many other varieties, even all crocus that would peep through the grass very early in spring. We used to have Snowdrops, and even the rare Giant Snowdrop; all eaten...
But our Japanese magnolia will be in full bloom by Sunday! It looks great already now.
Hugs,
Mariette
Critters got to all our tulips, too, Mariette, so I never replanted those. Very interesting to hear that you went through the same sort of experience with some of your daffodils. Who knows? Maybe, one day, they will come back to life!
DeleteLove and blessings!
💞
DeleteThanks!
DeleteThis makes me want to go buy a daffodil! I like to think it's saying, "Be not afraid."
ReplyDelete"Be not afraid" - yes! I think the daffodil is saying just that, Myra. :)
DeleteLove and blessings!
Your daffodils are a few weeks ahead of ours. They do have to fight against the last vestiges of winter, don't they. One year I thought for sure a hard frost would do them in. Their heads drooped on the ground. But to my amazement, once the weather warmed they perked right up again! Daffodils are not only a wonderful symbol of hope, they are example to us of persesverance.
ReplyDeleteHope and perseverance . . . Yes, Nancy, the daffodils are exactly that. They will persist in their green shoots even through snow falls that take them by surprise at times. They are tenacious, and so we should be in claiming the faithfulness of God in our own lives.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beckie. Praying for you, dear sister!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh, dear Martha, it doesn’t take much to fill me with hope either. My bromeliad bloomed this past fall for the first time in six years, and the bloom remains to this day. It fills me with gratitude and hope. I just stand staring at it sometimes. Thank you for sharing your beautiful daffodil with us. Much love and blessings.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful and parallel story you have shared here, Nells! God gives us signs of hope and promise all around us when we have the eyes to see and understand. May we all be filled with gratitude and hope.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh what a blessing!!! What a gift from God! The hope and promise of Spring is alive and well in your yard, and for your life! I see that as a real gift and a promise of better days to come. Thank you for sharing it with us!!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Pamela, God's hope is always real, and He is always ready to reveal it to His children. I needed this miraculous revelation so much at this point in my life, and God came through. I'll remember it always.
DeleteLove and blessings!
To put that into "Rancher" vernacular Ms. Martha, we'd say "He was all hat and no cattle." :-) Wonderful post as always ma'am.
ReplyDeleteJ. D., I love that rancher venacular, because it speaks the truth, and anything that speaks truth is definitely from God. These daffodils finally figured out that there are cattle to attend to, and I'm sure God pays attention to the lesson learned.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Daffodils and Tulips -- I'm not sure they grow here in Central Florida. They must need colder weather to produce. We had them in Colorado but not here. I'm glad you got that one Daff this year. It is pretty.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barbara, it is a beautiful flower. And I think you're right about the weather being too warm in Florida; the bulbs need the cold ground, it seems, in order to produce.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I have some daffodils that always come up but never bloom. And others that bloom beautifully. I'm not sure why! My first bloomers got buried in snow last week and didn't recover, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteOh, no, Lisa! Sorry to hear your first blooms got zapped by the snow and cold. But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has leaves pop up, but no flowers. I'm just so happy that these little guys came through in this year where we need so much hope.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Praise God indeed, Martha, just need to be patient. We’ve a struggle with patience. I agree that unexpected blessings bring great hope, praise Him.
ReplyDeleteThanks for Sharing, God bless and keep you safe, and all those you love, hugs Shaz in Oz.x
{Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz}
{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}
Unexpected blessings certainly do give us hope, Shaz, and these little blooms are no exception. Thank the Lord!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Deus é maravilhoso, que Ele dê ado um sábado cheio de bênçãos par vocês.
ReplyDeleteYes, God is so wonderful and so good, Luiz. I'm thankful for all His faithful love.
DeleteLove and blessings!
oh daffodils! what hope, what beauty, what promise! spring is coming, the earth awakes, we emerge from our cocoons.
ReplyDeletelove it, Martha. all will be well!
Yes, Linda, with you, I'm praying all will be well. The daffodils are signaling the promise of spring and hope renewed.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Spring is my favorite season. i seem to come alive as the earth does too. Love seeing the flowers here today. Haven't seen any here yet in NW Ohio but won't be long. I am hoping!!
ReplyDeleteSpring always comes early here in Georgia, it seems, Jean, and we are enjoying every minute of it. Hope you see signs of this beautiful season soon!
DeleteLove and blessings!
New life. New beginnings. New hope. Beautiful, Martha. Thank you for sharing this. It gives me hope that new life will begin here as well. Officially, it will be spring in less than a month. I just hope it is in reality. Love and blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteI hope that spring comes sooner than later for you, too, Trudy. Such a season of promise for all of us!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Thank you, Martha! I love Romans 15:13 and the thought of blooming hope! Beautiful daffodils!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the post, Karen, and the wonderful words of this scripture from Romans. Let hope blossom!
DeleteLove and blessings!
I think the recent storm got all of ours--sadly! OH WELL--NEXT YEAR! HOPE!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
That is sad news, Loralu, but you're so right - there's hope for next year!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Daffodils are my favorite flower. My hubby buys me a bunch each spring from the cancer society's fundraiser. They are such a powerful symbol of hope and much needed at this time of year. Mine won't appear for another 3 weeks (at least). Thanks for this early glimpse of yours! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful gesture from your husband, Laurie! Yes, daffodils are delightful, and are currently blooming like crazy now that we've had several days of warmer weather. I'm glad you enjoyed the glimpse into your not-so-distant future.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Signs of life and springtime remind us that our Creator hasn't forgotten us, don't they? Spring is just around the corner! I prefer fall and winter, but each season certainly has its own special beauty. God is so good!
ReplyDeleteYes, Cheryl, each season is beautiful in its own way. I do love fall, and winter's fine, too, as long as we get some snow, which we didn't this year. Oh, well!
DeleteLove and blessings!