After slogging through a chilly winter full of snow and ice, the milder breath of spring air is a welcome sensation–a caress instead of an icy blast. Granted, winter brings necessary moisture to northern lands. Having lived through the pouring rain of an Hawaii winter, I have to admit there is no perfect weather–at least I haven’t found it yet. And I wouldn’t have it otherwise.
There must be opposition in all things. Without the cruelty and harshness of the winter ice, we would not appreciate the tender warmth of the spring rains and breezes. If, in places like Hawaii, there were only sunny tropical days, the beautiful foliage would wither away.
Today I photographed some of the harbingers of spring–daffodils. They are my favorite spring flower, although it is hard to choose between them and the lovely lilac of the hyacinths. Maybe it’s because they lift happy yellow faces to the sun and are sturdy enough to brave the first days of spring. They are messengers of hope.
When I was much younger I had a tender moment with daffodils–a spiritual experience. A beam of sunlight fell on a daffodil I was holding, illuminating the delicate yellow petals. I always think of light when I think of daffodils now.
Maybe it is my Welsh heritage. The leek and the daffodil are both symbols of Wales, most likely (I discovered in a bit of research) because they bear the same name in Welsh: Cenhinen = leek, Cenhinen Bedr = daffodil.
Cenhinen Bedr or Pedr means Peter’s Leek. Interesting. That immediately made me think of Peter, one of Christ’s apostles–a real connection to the Light.
It is traditional to wear daffodils on St. David’s Day, which is March 1. Click here: link to go to an informative website that tells more about St. David and why he is an important figure in Welsh history. The post is written by a Welshman.
Although the Welsh wear the daffodil to celebrate St. David’s day in March, I will always think of Easter when I see the first daffodils of spring.