The Daffodil Project

It was spring 2014.  At least, that was what the calendar said, but this year Winter was loathe to release its grip on the world and relentlessly hung onto late March with icy fingers.  It blew chilled winds into reddening faces and spit late snow flurries down the coat collars of shoppers.  It was a winter to remember, according to old timers.  Not a few were ready to see it end and to watch spring burst through the chill, reviving the world with a balmy change. 

In spite of the late winter, not all was gray and cold.  One shopper in the large, Midwestern grocery store smiled to herself as she thought of her errand.  It was her Daffodil Project, one of her favorite events of the year, which caused a hint of a smile to permanently etch itself on her face.   Perusing the cooler full of flowers, Virginia selected daffodils whose blooms had yet to open.  Only 18 small bunches?  Dividing them among six vases wouldn’t make the bouquets as full as she had hoped, yet with time against her, Virginia made herself satisfied with the flowers available.  She knew that even a moderate, spring-like bouquet would chase away some of the winter blues for half a dozen elderly women.

The Daffodil Project is beautiful in its simplicity.  In the gray of early spring when everything outdoors is still bleak and barren of flowers, Virginia purchases bouquets of daffodils and delivers them to half a dozen widows.  She likes to choose widows from church, especially elderly ones or shut-ins.  Stopping by their homes with a bouquet of flowers and a friendly smile, she stays for a short visit and then goes her way, leaving behind a bouquet of springtime cheerfulness and an elderly widow basking in the warmth of knowing someone cares.  Within days, the daffodils burst into full bloom, permeating the home with the freshness of spring and effectively keeping winter chills at bay.

James 1:27 says in part, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction.”  I’m thankful for the example of Virginia, my mother, who has shown me through her annual Daffodil Project a beautiful way of visiting and blessing widows.  -Originally printed in the Companions

Doesn't that sound rewarding?  Let's expand the Daffodil Project this year and more of us should take flowers to at least one elderly person sometime in March.  Leave a comment below if you decide to join in.