Poppy Fever ...

Spring has arrived or at least that is what the calendar currently tells us!  The rain during the month of March broke long-standing records in our area, but they also have helped to water the spring flowers that we have been longing to see as we look for visible signs that the long winter is over.

 

One of the visible signs that I look for each spring to tell me that winter is gone is the budding of the poppies.  I don’t know what it is that attracts me to these beautiful flowers for they do not differ in colors, at all.  There is only one color that dots the countryside and that is the color “red.”  For me, just seeing one of these beauties standing alone beside the road nestled in the bright green grass with a clear blue sky above it is enough to tell me that “Yes … indeed winter is over!” 

This fascination with poppies actually began when we first arrived here in France.  I was so enthralled by this tiny and delicate wonder that I really wanted to have one in my own tiny garden. Being one who would rather find something for “free” rather than pay for anything, I proceeded to look for just the right specimen to call my own and bring it home!  So one day I went equipped with a tiny shovel and a bag on my bike to gather up my new find.  I dug carefully around the entire plant and gently placed it in the bag for safekeeping.  During the entire “gathering & transplanting process” I was greeted by many stares from people who were passing by me, but I did my best to try and ignore them and focus on replanting my new spring flower.  It was days later, however, after talking with some of my French friends that I realized that these tiny little wonders of creation that encourage my spirit so much after a long winter were actually viewed by the French people much like I would view a dandelion that would appear in my yard back home…!  It was at this point that I began to understand why I received so many stares while planting my poppy.  I, who was being so careful and gentle with this delicate flower so as not to disturb it’s root system, was actually just transplanting the local weed! 

I can confidently say that I have learned my lesson in regards to the poppy.  Sometimes the Lord only desires for me to gaze on the beauty of His creation, instead of trying to replicate it somewhere else.  It was never meant to be duplicated, but was given to us as another opportunity to thank the Lord for His beauty in creation & His faithfulness to us as we pass from one season to another.  Winter will disappear … spring will arrive and all the beauty that comes with it.  The poppy no longer draws my heart to want to capture it, but to glorify the Maker of it!  

photo taken by Tiara Coules