There is much to be said for the allure and the beauty of the humble Daisy. For example, in her poem “Two Little Daisies” (The other little daisy wished to be a rose)”, Gertrude Tooley Buckingham imagines a conversation between the two unfolding like this:
Said the other little daisy, “I am very well content,
to live simply in the meadow where the sun and rain are sent.
Where the bees all gather sweetness, and the dew falls on my head,
And the radiance of the moonlight is all around me shed.
The grass and clover blossoms admire my beauty all day long,
As I listen to the music of a bird’s delightful song”
There is something special, beautiful and fascinating about the common, familiar daisy. It is a happy, approachable, beautiful flower, loved by everyone.
In another “Daisy poem”, the deep and expressive words of the American Poet Mary Oliver, in ‘Daisies – Words of Wonder,’ speaks of the inner meaning, presence, wonder and possibility she has discovered in the daisy:
“It is possible, I suppose that sometimes we will learn everything
there is to learn; what the world is, for example, and what it means.
I think this as I am crossing from one field to another, in summer….
At my feet the white-petalled daisies display the small suns of their centre
piece, their — if you don’t mind my saying so — their hearts.
Of course, I could be wrong, perhaps their hearts are pale and
narrow and hidden in the roots.
What do I know?
But this: it is heaven itself to take what is given,
to see what is plain;
what the sun lights up willingly;
for example — I think this as I reach down, not to pick but merely to touch — the suitability of the field for the daisies, and the daisies for the field”.
(“Why I Wake Early” – Mary Oliver©2004. Beacon Press)
The simple ordinary aspects of life, of nature, of God’s creation bring contentment, joy, and inner peace.
They also guide us to becoming our best selves. To quote another poet, Mark Nepo declares that: “The flower doesn’t dream of the bee. It blossoms and the bee comes.”
For reflection: How might I bring my daily attention to creation in such a way?
Part II of Liz Hartigan’s Daisy musings will appear on August 19, 2024.
Liz (Elizabeth) Hartigan, a Sister of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM), now retired and living a semi active life in an aging community in Dublin Ireland, after spending over fifty years on mission outside her own country. She is an Educator with teacher training from Liverpool UK and Degrees in Psychology and Theology.
Apart from many years in schools, her ministry has taken her to work with adults with disabilities, pastoral ministry in prison and in parish. She has served the Congregation on Leadership Teams both internationally and locally and feels privileged to have experienced the hard-working missionary spirit of RNDM’s in many needy and difficult areas throughout the world. At present she is Province contact for “Care of Our Common Home” Congregational project as well as enjoying the services she gives in community and in the area.
I am especially fond of the daisy (I chose them for my wedding bouquet, and have always had them in my garden!), so thank you, Liz, for this lovely reflection and the invitation to ponder…