The Daffodil Principle

[Guest guest]

This doesn't directly deal with DS, but then again it does, as it deals with our

lives in general.

I hope you enjoy it, I certainly did.

Sharon - Mom to (10, DS) and (6)

The daffodil Principle

THE 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 and said, " 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 that

read, " 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.

There were five acres of flowers.

" But who has done this? " I asked Carolyn.

" It's just one woman, " Carolyn answered. " 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 forty years before, had begun-one bulb

at a time-to bring her vision 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 some-thing of ineffable (indescribable) magnificence, beauty, and

inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest

principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time -

often just one baby-step at a time-and 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 or forty 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 usual direct way. " Start

tomorrow, " she said.

t's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make

learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only

ask, " How can I put this to use today? "

.Author Unknown

Too often, we convince ourselves that life will be better after we get

married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids

aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're

frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy

when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or

her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice

vacation, or when we retire.

The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now.

If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to

ourselves and decide to be happy anyway.

Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it

more because you shared it with someone special - special enough to spend

your time with......and remember that time waits for no one.

SO STOP WAITING:..

Until your car or home is paid off

Until you get a new car or home

Until your kids leave the house

Until you go back to school

Until you finish school

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married

Until you get a divorce

Until you have kids

Until you retire

Until summer

Until spring

Until winter

Until fall

Until you die

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey,

not a destination. So work like you don't need money, Love like you've never

been hurt, and dance like no one but God is watching.

If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special. I

just did!!

[Guest guest]

This doesn't directly deal with DS, but then again it does, as it deals with our

lives in general.

I hope you enjoy it, I certainly did.

Sharon - Mom to (10, DS) and (6)

The daffodil Principle

THE 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 and said, " 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 that

read, " 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.

There were five acres of flowers.

" But who has done this? " I asked Carolyn.

" It's just one woman, " Carolyn answered. " 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 forty years before, had begun-one bulb

at a time-to bring her vision 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 some-thing of ineffable (indescribable) magnificence, beauty, and

inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest

principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time -

often just one baby-step at a time-and 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 or forty 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 usual direct way. " Start

tomorrow, " she said.

t's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make

learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only

ask, " How can I put this to use today? "

.Author Unknown

Too often, we convince ourselves that life will be better after we get

married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids

aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're

frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy

when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or

her act together, when we get a nicer car, when we are able to go on a nice

vacation, or when we retire.

The truth is there's no better time to be happy than right now.

If not now, when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to

ourselves and decide to be happy anyway.

Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it

more because you shared it with someone special - special enough to spend

your time with......and remember that time waits for no one.

SO STOP WAITING:..

Until your car or home is paid off

Until you get a new car or home

Until your kids leave the house

Until you go back to school

Until you finish school

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married

Until you get a divorce

Until you have kids

Until you retire

Until summer

Until spring

Until winter

Until fall

Until you die

There is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey,

not a destination. So work like you don't need money, Love like you've never

been hurt, and dance like no one but God is watching.

If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone special. I

just did!!

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

Hi. It is so funny that you sent this out. In NY, we have gotten 1 million

daffodil bulbs from the Netherlands to plant in rememberance of the people at

the WTC. In Brooklyn, we are planting bulbs in all the public gardens which

will bloom next spring. and the daffodil principal is plant one at a time

and it will re build.

Sorta nice concept for whats going on here in NY and what you sent out in

this email!

Tomorrow I will be planting 20 bulbs with my class in the garden at my school

and on Sunday we will be plant 1,000 bulbs in my church garden and around the

neighborhood.

Peace,

~ Mom to amanda 11 ds and jesse 7 NY

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

Hi. It is so funny that you sent this out. In NY, we have gotten 1 million

daffodil bulbs from the Netherlands to plant in rememberance of the people at

the WTC. In Brooklyn, we are planting bulbs in all the public gardens which

will bloom next spring. and the daffodil principal is plant one at a time

and it will re build.

Sorta nice concept for whats going on here in NY and what you sent out in

this email!

Tomorrow I will be planting 20 bulbs with my class in the garden at my school

and on Sunday we will be plant 1,000 bulbs in my church garden and around the

neighborhood.

Peace,

~ Mom to amanda 11 ds and jesse 7 NY

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

Hi. It is so funny that you sent this out. In NY, we have gotten 1 million

daffodil bulbs from the Netherlands to plant in rememberance of the people at

the WTC. In Brooklyn, we are planting bulbs in all the public gardens which

will bloom next spring. and the daffodil principal is plant one at a time

and it will re build.

Sorta nice concept for whats going on here in NY and what you sent out in

this email!

Tomorrow I will be planting 20 bulbs with my class in the garden at my school

and on Sunday we will be plant 1,000 bulbs in my church garden and around the

neighborhood.

Peace,

~ Mom to amanda 11 ds and jesse 7 NY

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

Hi. It is so funny that you sent this out. In NY, we have gotten 1 million

daffodil bulbs from the Netherlands to plant in rememberance of the people at

the WTC. In Brooklyn, we are planting bulbs in all the public gardens which

will bloom next spring. and the daffodil principal is plant one at a time

and it will re build.

Sorta nice concept for whats going on here in NY and what you sent out in

this email!

Tomorrow I will be planting 20 bulbs with my class in the garden at my school

and on Sunday we will be plant 1,000 bulbs in my church garden and around the

neighborhood.

Peace,

~ Mom to amanda 11 ds and jesse 7 NY

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Sara and Tom!

I don't mind being reminded of the value of time and of perseverance---

two inestimably valuable things in this world.

" Procrastination is the thief of time. "

[Guest guest]

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of

others, cannot keep it from themselves.

in_joy/

In_joy-subscribe

PIVOTinJOY/

PIVOTinJOY-subscribe

The

Daffodil Principle

by: Jaroldeen Asplund

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.

Going and coming took most of a day--and I honestly did not have a free day

until the following week.

" 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 the length of Route 91, continued on I-215, and finally turned

onto Route 18 and began to drive up the mountain highway. The tops of the

mountains were sheathed in clouds, and I had gone only a few miles when the

road was completely covered with a wet, gray blanket of fog. I slowed to a

crawl, my heart pounding. The road becomes narrow and winding toward the top

of the mountain. As I executed the hazardous turns at a snail's pace, I was

praying to reach the turnoff at Blue Jay that would signify I had arrived.

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 darling 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. The mechanic just called,

and they've finished repairing the engine, " she answered.

" How far will we have to drive? " I asked cautiously.

" Just a few blocks, " Carolyn said cheerfully.

So we buckled up the children and went out to my car. " I'll drive, "

Carolyn offered. " I'm used to this. " We got into the car, and she

began driving. In a few minutes I was aware that we were back on the

Rim-of-the-World road heading over the top of the mountain. " Where are we

going? " I exclaimed, distressed to be back on the mountain road in the

fog.

" 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, trying to sound as if I were still the

mother and in charge of the situation,

" please turn around. There is nothing in the world that I want to see

enough to drive on this road

in this weather. "

" It's all right, Mother, " she replied with a knowing grin. " I

know what I'm doing. I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss

this experience. " And so my sweet, darling daughter who had never given me

a minute of difficulty in her whole life was suddenly in charge -- and she was

kidnapping me! I couldn't believe it. Like it or not, I was on the way to see

some ridiculous daffodils -- driving through the thick, gray silence of the

mist-wrapped mountaintop at what I thought was risk to life and limb. I

muttered all the way.

After about twenty minutes we turned onto a small gravel road that branched

down into an oak-filled hollow on the side of the mountain. The Fog had lifted

a little, but the sky was lowering, gray and heavy with clouds. We parked in a

small parking lot adjoining a little stone church. From our vantage point at

the top of the mountain we could see beyond us, in the mist, the crests of the San Bernardino range like

the dark, humped backs of a herd of elephants. Far below us the fog-shrouded

valleys, hills, and flatlands stretched away to the desert. On the far side of

the church I saw a pine-needle-covered

path, with towering evergreens and manzanita bushes and an inconspicuous,

hand-lettered sign

" Daffodil Garden. "

We each took a child's hand,

and I followed Carolyn down the path as it wound through the trees. The

mountain sloped away from the side of the path in irregular dips, folds, and

valleys, like a deeply creased

skirt. Live oaks, mountain laurel, shrubs, and bushes clustered in the folds,

and in the gray, drizzling air, the

green foliage looked dark and monochromatic. I shivered. Then we turned a

corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious

sight, unexpectedly and completely splendid. It looked as though someone had

taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and

slopes where it had run into every crevice and over every rise. Even in the

mist-filled air, the mountainside was radiant, clothed in massive drifts and

waterfalls of daffodils.

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 ( I learned later that there were more

than thirty-five varieties of daffodils in the vast display) was planted as a

group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue.

In the center of this

incredible and dazzling display of gold, a great cascade of purple grape

hyacinth flowed down like a waterfall of blossoms framed in its own rock-lined

basin, weaving through the brilliant daffodils.

A charming path wound throughout the garden. There were several resting

stations, paved with stone and furnished with n wooden benches and

great tubs of coral and carmine tulips. As though this were not magnificence

enough, Mother Nature had to add her own grace note -- above the daffodils, a

bevy of western bluebirds flitted and darted, flashing their brilliance. These

charming little birds are the color of sapphires with breasts of magenta red.

As they dance in the air, their colors are truly like jewels above the blowing,

glowing daffodils.

The effect was

spectacular. It did not matter that the sun was not shining. The brilliance of

the daffodils was like the glow of the brightest sunlit day. Words, wonderful

as they are, simply cannot describe the incredible beauty of that

flower-bedecked mountain top. Five acres of flowers! (This too I discovered

later when some of my questions were answered.) " But who has done

this? " I asked Carolyn. I was overflowing with gratitude that she brought

me - even against my will. This was a once-in-a-lifetime

experience. " Who? " I asked again, almost speechless with wonder,

" and how, and

why, and when? "

" It's just one woman, " Carolyn answered. " 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, my mind buzzing with questions.

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 vision of beauty and joy to an obscure

mountain top. One bulb at a time. There was no other

way to do it. One bulb at a time. No shortcuts -- simply loving the slow

process of planting.

Loving the work as it unfolded. Loving an

achievement that grew so slowly and that bloomed for only three weeks of each

year. 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 principle 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.

" Carolyn, " I said that morning on the top of the mountain as we left

the haven of daffodils, our minds and hearts still bathed and bemused by the

splendors we had seen, " it's as though that remarkable woman

has needle-pointed the earth! Decorated it. Just think of it, she planted

every single bulb. For more than

thirty years. One bulb at a time! And that's the only way this garden could be

created. Every individual bulb had to be planted. There was no way of

short-circuiting that process. Five acres of blooms. That magnificent cascade

of hyacinth! All, all, just one bulb at a time. " The thought of it filled

my mind. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the implications of what I had seen.

" 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 wise

daughter put the car into gear and summed up the message of the day in her

direct way. " Start tomorrow, " she said with the same knowing smile

she had worn for most of the morning.

Oh, profound wisdom! It is pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays.

The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret

is to only ask, " How can I put this to use tomorrow? " I also learned

on that gray and golden morning what a blessing it is to have a child who is

not a child anymore but a woman - perceptive and loving beyond her years -- and

to be humble in that awareness.

Thank you, Carolyn. Thank you for lessons of that unforgettable morning. Thank

you for the gift of the

daffodils.

by: Jaroldeen Asplund

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of

others, cannot keep it from themselves.

in_joy/

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PIVOTinJOY/

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