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Stop and Pick
Some Daisies
If I had my childhood to live over, I would climb more trees,
and swim down more creeks on an inner tube. I would spend more time
lying on my back in fields of clover and watch the clouds made of
cotton candy drift over. I would eat more ice cream, blow more
bubbles with a bigger wad of bubblegum.
I
would kick more tin cans; skim more rocks across the ponds. I would
explore more places, dream bigger dreams, and count more evening
stars. I would start going barefooted earlier in the spring and
stay that way later in the fall. I would ride more merry-go-rounds,
and swing from more grapevines. I would play hooky from school at
least once in my life.
However, those sweet, unrushed days are gone forever for me. They
are now only sweet memories from my past. A time when summer days
were long, and filled with adventure. Evenings were spent playing
hide-and-seek; or running through the yard catching lightening bugs.
Perhaps, like me, one of your favorite memories is making chains
from a simple little wildflower that grows in abundance in the
fields, and along roadsides. It forever gladdens the heart because
that’s what the wild daisy does best. It has told many a young girl
if her boyfriend loves her or not. While some people think if it as
a pesky little weed deserving to be dug up and thrown away, I count
it as a plant of rare beauty. Its little white petals and the bright
yellow centers are cast-offs of sunrays. It may not be a
favored plant in the flower shops like the red rose, but in its calm
unspoiled way, the cute little daisy will endure far longer than the
rose. It ranks right up there with the March lily, the dandelion as
a reminder that spring is here, and summer is on the way. Just as
with the dandelion, many mothers have received a fistful of these
little beauties from her child with words of tender love attached;
“Mama, I picked you some flowers.” I know I have received my fair
share of them. They were among my most treasured memories,
especially, when I used my best jelly glasses to display them. My
favorite glass was one with Fred Flintstone painted on it. It
looked really good with a small fistful of daisies.
There are so many memories but with them comes a hint of regrets.
Did I listen enough and laugh enough? Were there times when my
actions were too harsh? Were my words often too critical?
Could I have been more understanding? Sadly, with life we do not
get any do-over. You cannot go back and redo things you have done
you wished you had not, and you can never erase harsh words you have
spoken.
If
you will remember, Paul had some regrets. When he wrote a letter to
the Philippians, he wondered if he could have done things
differently; but then he realized that what is done is done. We can
waste our time living in the past, or we can move on with hope and
courage to improve things and make them better. There are still
goals to achieve and victories to win. God’s promises are true and
what He has promised is beyond our greatest expectations.
The
pictures of our past hold many memories, but sometimes we need
reminders that our future is open for creating beautiful portraits
as well. We just need to stop sometimes and pick some daisies.
Have you ever been sitting there and all of a sudden, you feel like
doing something nice for someone you care for? That’s God…
He talks to us through the Holy Spirit.
Have
you been down and out and feel there is nobody to talk to?
That’s God….He sometimes wants us to talk with Him.
Have
you ever been thinking about someone you have not seen for a long
time, and then…you get a letter or a phone call from them?
That’s God…There is no such thing as a “coincidence.”
Have
you ever been down-and-out and need something desperately, and
suddenly you get some unexpected money from somewhere? That’s
God… He promised to supply all our needs.
Have
you ever been in a situation where you had no idea how it could turn out or even get better, but now as you
look back on it, you got through it? That’s God…He will see
us through our tribulations to see a brighter day.
~Mary King~ |
