A Bloom of Significance

The very first crocus has finally bloomed in my garden today.  Joy swept over me.

Last spring I had forgotten I planted crocuses in the garden, and the first one to bloom was a complete surprise.  This fall, I planted over 100 crocus bulbs in the garden.  And I've been waiting and anticipating their arrival ever since.  Every day since their foliage started emerging from the bare earth, I have been checking.  Even in the rain, I would run outside to see when the first crocus would bloom.  Today I continued that ritual.  And as I walked around, looking closely for a crocus bloom (yes, in the rain), there it was.

The tiny little blooms of the crocus seem insignificant.  Henry Mitchell, in his book "One Man's Garden", says that no one should design a garden around crocuses.  That struck me as funny, because - who would?  They are too small.  Their blooms last for only a short time.  In fact, for years, I couldn't understand why anyone would even plant them.

And then I planted one.  And I understood.  These ephemeral blooms are loved by gardeners because they are one of the first blooms of spring.  For many, they signify the coming of spring.  They are common, growing in many zones, and coming in many colors.  And yet, each one is different.  Each one is special.  The gardener has to bend down to look at them closely.  A pause in life.  A celebration of spring.  Hope.  Joy.  All that in each tiny bloom.

Significant.

George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" had no idea the significance of his life until his angel showed him how the world would be different without it.  So many of us wonder if our lives have significance.  We may not know how, but I think each one does.

Stacy at Microcosm has asked us to come up with a different way of looking at crocuses.  On her blog, she writes "Small lives, small worlds, can still have great meaning."  So true.

There is a cemetery I visit.  I've noticed that there is a grave there that is well tended, with fresh flowers put there often.  It is the grave of a little baby that lived for one day.  I have no doubt that this precious child, that only lived one day, has had great significance.

Finally, the first crocus bloom of the year.

The crocus.  You can't design a garden around them.  You won't see them unless you look carefully.  They don't last for very long.  And yet, their blooms are possibly one of the most anticipated spring bulb, one of the most loved, and one that brings pure delight.

Significant.