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'ONE DAFFODIL AT A TIME'
JAROLDEEN ASPLUND EDWARDS writes of the 'Daffodil Principle'.

SEVERAL times my daughter, Julie, had telephoned to say, "Mom, you must come see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from my place by the beach to her lakeside mountain home. "I'll come next Tuesday," I said, on her third call.

When I finally walked into Julie's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said: "Forget the daffodils, Julie! The road is invisible in the mist." My daughter said: "We drive in this all the time, Mom."
"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears and then I'm heading straight home!" I said, rather emphatically.
"Well, Mom, I was hoping you'd take me over to the garage to pick up my car," Julie said, with a forlorn look in her eyes.
"How far will we have to drive?"
Smiling, she answered: "Just a few blocks, I'll drive ... I'm used to this." After several minutes on the cold, foggy road, I had to ask: "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the garage!"
"We're going to the garage the long way," Julie smiled, "by way of the daffodils."
"Julie," I said sternly, "please turn around."
"It's all right, Mom, I promise, you will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience."
After about 20 minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church.
On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign ... "Daffodil Garden".
We got out of the car and Julie and I each took a child's hand, and I followed Julie down the path. As we turned a corner of the path, I looked up and gasped.
Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of liquid gold and poured it down the mountain peak and slopes. Five acres of flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow.
"Who planted all these?" I asked Julie.
"A woman who lives on the property," Julie answered.
We walked up to her house and saw this poster ...
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS:
50,000 bulbs
One at a time
By one woman
Two hands, two feet
And very little brain
Began in 1958.

There it was ... "The Daffodil Principle". For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman who, more than 35 years before, had begun - one bulb at a time - to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. She had forever changed the world in which she lived and created something of magnificent beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of celebration:
• Learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time, (often just one baby-step at a time);
• Learning to love the doing; and
• Learning to use time. When we multiply bits of time with increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world. So ask yourself: "How can I start?"