Sometime ago I was given one of my most treasured gifts. It was simple. It was elegant. What it lacked in worldly value, it more than made up for in spiritual and emotional wealth, and was poetry to my ears. It was, in fact a poem, written by my daughter Miranda, who has a way of seeing beyond the obvious and in the lovely way of a poet, imbues the common with sublimity; adding layers of meaning to what may be dismissed as ordinary.
In her poem, my four children become the hallmarks of a garden, each represented by a distinctive flower that graces my life with unique attributes. All so different from one another, yet all blessing my life with beauty and grace.
I have been thinking a lot about my Sunflower lately, the fourth addition to my garden of beauties, and have felt to pay tribute to her with my latest creation of glass fusion. It is easy to see her golden hair. It is easy to see her big brown eyes. But most importantly, "What a sunflower lacks in elegance is made up in the soul,
For only when they give all things is when they're really whole."
She has chosen to sacrifice her time and all her talents to her Savior, Jesus Christ, serving Him as a full-time missionary. Putting aside the distractions of a busy, silly, crass and crude world, she walks with God, looking for opportunities to serve His children, to teach them the Gospel of Christ and bring them into the fold of the Good Shepherd.
A sunflower keeps its face toward the sun, knowing that is from where it draws its strength. My prayers are with Miranda every day as she has chosen to be in the world, yet not of the world, keeping her face directed toward the Source of all Light.
My Mother’s Garden
Written by M.L. Haws
For my mother.
Four little beds filled to the brim
Each bright in blazing color
Planted in their youth by a loving
hand
In the Garden of My Mother
One is lush with Poppies
In a drowsy and dreamy red
Smooth to the touch, daring the eye
And stubborn in the head
The Poppy will stand vibrant
And have its way, still
But will honor those who need their
rest
And serve them with a will
Next, the Birds of Paradise
That stand up straight and proud
Showing off their sprays of light
With wise heads humbly bowed
The Proficient Paradise gives promise
Of strength, beauty and charm
Standing tall in stormy weather
And finds home where it is warm
Third in line, the Orchid
Glowing in elegance
But beneath those pearly petals
Beats a heart of amethysts
The Orchid is all loveliness
With an inner glow of fun
Light and grace, vibrant joy
In its soul unite as one.
Last of all a humble patch
The Sunflowers nod away
In Morning face toward the sun
And contemplate the day
What the Sunflower lacks in elegance
Is made up in the soul
For only when they give all things
Is when they’re really whole
Four little boxes tenderly kept
By their gardener expertly
This gardener who loved them
Though they all grew differently
Four little boxes surround a tree
Growth from a seed of faith
That bears the fruit and creates the
light
In which they daily bathe
And from my Mother’s tree of Life
That stands unfailingly
New vines still grow and intertwine
And blossom verdantly
In my Mother’s Garden
There still is much to grow
But come and see, the Faith and Family
Are quite enough to show.
