What the Sunflower Lacks in Elegance

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.

Wait! Can I Try That Again?

How many of us get a "do over"?  How often do we imagine what we could have said, or what we could have done if we could relive an unsuccessful moment, trying to improve upon its outcome?  Perhaps that is why I am drawn to a certain silly movie.

Through all of Bill Murray's lovable outrageousness, there can be found at the heart of Groundhog Day a remarkable idea.  What if we could try and try again until we get the day right?  What if we could fine tune our actions and our words and our reactions?  What if we could tweak the little things we say, the nuances with which we say them, and the level of service we offer to our neighbors? 

Unlike Murray's character in the movie, Phil Connors, who deals with no consequences from the previous day's mistakes or triumphs, we must live with the fallout from our yesterdays.  Are we learning from them?  Are we taking the time to review what is working and what isn't?  A little self-analysis is invaluable if we allow ourselves to correct our course and try to improve.

My daughter, Miranda, finds herself in a unique situation of getting do-overs, again and again and again.  As a College Program Cast Member at Walt Disney World, her assignment for the next five months is to be a Skipper on the Jungle Cruise in the Magic Kingdom.  This is a unique opportunity to perform the same script, over and over, to new captive audiences every ten minutes.  She also has the freedom to make it her own by inserting her unique personality and her astute observations.

Imagine being able to gauge your performance by the audience's laughter.  Imagine being able to throw in new material to the tried and true jokes, to change it up a little, to banter with the hecklers.  I cannot imagine what I would do in such a situation, nor can I comprehend the courage it would take, nor the grace, nor the poise, nor the mental agility.

And yet.  It does come with the chance to have do-overs, always perfecting, always improvising, always experimenting.  Just like Groundhog Day.

And I suppose, as in the movie when Phil Connors finally gets it right, when Miranda does have the perfect day with the perfect audience, doing and saying everything just how she would like, perhaps then it will be time to move forward, to come home, and to try something new.

Good luck, Sweetheart!  We think you're amazing!!

Birthday Tears

They are supposed to be happy days.  Joyous days.  Full of fun and family and cake.

And mine usually are.

I also have had birthdays filled with bittersweet tears.  Like this year.

Somehow, it seems that monumental days for my children happen to fall on my birthday.  In 2005, it was the day that my only son entered the Missionary Training Center to begin his two-year mission for Jesus Christ.  It was a day filled with pride, and joy, and heart-wrenching sorrow.  Try as I might, I could not smile through the tears.

This year was a similar experience.  On my birthday, my youngest daughter flew to Florida, checked into the Disney College Program in Walt Disney World, where she will live and work for the next five months. It was a day filled with pride, excitement, and anticipation.

And it was another tearful good-bye.  Another attempt to be brave while having my heart torn out.

I think, overall, I did pretty well holding it together.  Well, except for that one time.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to......

And I Think to Myself....

I see trees of green

Red roses, too.  I watch them bloom for me and you.

And I think to myself, What a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue

And clouds of white

The bright blessed day

The dark sacred night

And I think to myself, What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by.

I see friends shaking hands,

Saying, How do you do?

They're really saying, 'I love you'!

I hear babies cry

I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know.

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world!

No Request is Too Extreme

Have you ever wished for something so hard that it hurt?  Have you ever dreamt of something for so long that it became apart of who you are?  Everyone loves Disney; that is a given, I think.  But there is one little girl that loved it the most.  Everything about it.  It spoke her language.  She even looked and sounded like she was a displaced Disney Darling.  Her whole life has been lived from one Disney trip to the next.  Only when she was in The Happiest Place was she really whole.

 

So when the opportunity arose to become part of the Disney College Program, it seemed like a perfect fit for this girl.  This is a program that recruits applicants from college campuses.  They hire students to become "Cast Members", their generic term for anyone who works in the Kingdom.  These cast members work everywhere, from being in the limelight as characters to sweeping up after everyone has gone home.
My youngest daughter, Miranda, set her sights upon this as soon as she learned of it, several years ago.  Determined that nothing would stand in her way, she studied up on it and planned for the day she would finally be able to submit her application.

 

One question asked on the application was:  Which assignment would be your first choice?  Easy.  Attractions.  This assignment has the most direct contact with the Park Guests, and the most opportunity to make others' experience in the Kingdom magical.  That's what she wanted.  She longed to be able to give back some of the magic that she had felt when she was a little girl.

 

During her phone interview with a college program representative, she tried to send through the phone line a glimpse of her true Disney spirit, that she had caught that spirit and was prepared to keep it alive and pass it on.  But she was also wise enough to tell them that she would even be willing to clean toilets if it meant she could be apart of it all.

 

Through the agony of waiting for a response, she never lost hope.  The grueling two months may have been the longest of her life.  She made lists to distract herself:  packing lists, things she wanted to do during her time off, how she would breakdown her paychecks.  Can you imagine being paid to spend five months in Walt Disney World?  It seemed like a dream come true, like something too perfect to be real.  Another benefit is a continuous free pass to any of the parks.  Really.

 

Finally that beautiful purple packet found its way to her little apartment.  Inside it was the key to her future.  Would she be offered a job?  Would she get her first-choice assignment, or would she be a janitor, or a shop girl, or a churro peddler?

 

Dear Miranda Haws:  Please accept this job offer in Walt Disney World ........ as an Attractions Cast Member!  Responsbilities may include:

• Working at one or more of the "rides" or theater shows
• Loading and unloading Guests from an attraction
• Operating sophisticated ride systems
• Memorizing and delivering lengthy narrations on a microphone to large groups (this is my pick)
• Handling the evacuation of an attraction when necessary
• Monitoring Guest flow and providing a safe Guest experience
• Assisting with audience control, including during parades
• Cleaning areas surrounding attractions
• Working with FASTPASS
• Standing for extended periods, working outdoors

 

 

Joy.  That is the only word to express it.  Pure and divine joy.

 

"If your heart is in your dream,

No request is too extreme.

When you wish upon a star

Your dreams come true."

 

No one wanted it more.

 

No one will make a more perfect Disney Ambassador.

 

Your family couldn't be more proud of you.

 

 

 

To Go Before the Mast

It may come as a surprise; it may seem out of character. For many years I have had a love affair with historic tall ships; those that depend on the power of the wind to fill their expansive sails, those that were manned by accomplished sailors who navigated their courses by the nighttime skies. These ships, with their undisputed beauty, speak to me of adventure, of romance of times gone by, of courage, of stout-hearted men.

While certain that I am not hearty nor courageous enough to have sailed the seven seas in this manner, in my dreams I do long to take my spot next to the great captains which I read about in books. Indeed, I have already outed my obsession with Horatio Hornblower.

Last Tuesday, I had the unique opportunity to "go before the mast and on the deck of the world", to test out my sea legs and to feel the exhilaration of the wind in my sails. It fulfilled a lifelong dream, and despite the debilitating cold of our evening cruise, I will always treasure the experience.

We sailed out of the bay in Newport, Oregon, on the Lady Washington, an historically accurate wooden replica of the original Lady Washington, one of the first U.S.-flagged vessels to visit the west coast of North America. This beautiful movie-star ship has appeared in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Master and Commander:  The Far Side of the World."

I appreciate my family and their patience with me as I pursue the things I love.  They are very supportive and adventurous as well, and I love them.  Together, we could sail to the ends of the earth, or wherever we decide to go.

"I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. I do not wish to go below now."

~Henry David Thoreau~

What She is, and What She Isn't

That is what I learned this weekend.  I learned that the virtues and qualities of my daughter are finally being recognized and appreciated.  I learned that beauty doesn't have to be devoid of intelligence and grace.

I learned that an entire audience can catch their breath at the same time, while listening to my angel sing with an angelic voice. 

I learned that you don't need to be a seasoned, groomed, polished pageant contestant to finish strong.  I learned that sometimes the victory lies in the overcoming of fear and insecurity. I learned that my family is strong; that we rally together, each member contributing to support one another.

I wouldn't have changed a thing.  In reviewing the events of the past weekend, everything was exactly how I would have chosen it to be.

My youngest daughter, Miranda, participated in the Miss Rexburg Scholarship Program, and she was a finalist, winning the title of Second Runner-up, which came with honor, a certificate, a bouquet of beautiful flowers, a decent monetary prize, and the best part, no commitment to remain in Rexburg for the coming year.  So everyone won something.

But I think Miranda won the most of all.