a daffodil legacy

About 5 years ago I was living in a townhouse about 200 yards away from where I live now. I actually lived there for 3 years before moving down the street to where I live now, but that is irrelevant to this story. We had a lot of fun in our house on Jolly Lane, and one day in early 2004 my roommates and I, on a whim, decided to plant some daffodil bulbs along the sidewalk in front of our front porch. I don't remember where we got the bulbs, probably from my mother, but it was just one of those random things we decided to do on a lazy Saturday. I remember that we didn't even have any proper gardening tools (I mean, why would we)...we dug up the hard Georgia red clay with our kitchen spoons and forks. So we planted our bulbs, knowing next to nothing about gardening, and when they actually bloomed a month or two later, we were delighted with the pretty yellow flowers growing alongside our sidewalk. They lasted a few weeks and then went away (except for that one time the kids I was babysitting "picked" one for me...that one lasted a much shorter time). Out of sight, out of mind.

It was rainy when I took these pictures today, so the flowers don't look as beautiful as they usually are!

The next year we still lived there. One springy February day I was surprised and thrilled to see that the flowers were back! Not being a very garden-y person, I wasn't aware that daffodils were the type of flower that would come back year after year. But they did and it was so exciting.

So here I am 5 or so Februarys later, still living on the same street, and every year I see those daffodils spring back to life. A little burst of yellow prettiness on an otherwise unnotable street...and no one has lived in "our" townhouse for the 3 years we've been out of it, but still those daffodils come up every spring to brighten up the yard. I drive past them at least twice a day and they always bring a smile to my face. What was really only a whim of ours one random day has turned into a tiny legacy of beauty in my neighborhood. You see, it's a rental neighborhood...no one stays for long (except me, apparently). People don't bother planting flowers and beautifying their property because no one sees it as their real home. It's just a stop along the way to bigger and better things, a temporary fix. And I'm no different-- I really do not plan on living here forever. But I'm so glad we planted those daffodils. Because someone will always live here. And they no doubt can use a little beauty in their surroundings.

And I guess it's just made me a little nostalgic. I hope that I can use this perspective in the rest of my life. Wherever I am...in terms of career, or city, or church, or whatever...however temporary it may be, I hope that I leave it a little more beautiful. I hope I take advantage of every opportunity to brighten up the environment. This world is not my eternal home, but it is my home for now. I don't want to miss a chance to make it better.