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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Oh, So Lovely

Yellow, hearty, and oh, so lovely! A simple dandelion. The “flowers” grace my neighborhood. Children adore dandelions. More than once, a tiny glass vase filled with a miniature arrangement of dandelions has graced my kitchen table. A gift, of course, from my sweet girl. 

Even though our each member of my family spends countless hours each month lost in novels, we often select children’s books to read together. After all, a well-written children’s book always reveals valuable messages, along with fantastic illustrations. Just the other day we pulled a classic from our bookshelf.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) wrote Der er Forskjel and showed how children see beauty in dandelions.  A modest “weed” can be beautiful. 

The fairy-tale was originally written in Danish and was translated from the original Danish text by Marlee Alex in and published as There is a Difference in 1988.

Take a moment to examine a dandelion. Go ahead and pick it. No one will care! Even after dandelion flowers have dried up…there is still beauty to be found. Just look at the feathery and almost transparent arrangement of white seeds perfectly arranged in a sphere.

Hold the dandelion close to your mouth…gently blow…and make a wish.

Happy spring!

6 comments:

  1. That was such a joy as a child. But sadly, we grow up and lose that joy. Thanks for encouraging me to make a wish.

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  2. Joseph, I hope your dreams come true!

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  3. I loved making wishes on dandelions when I was a little girl.

    When I was in college one of my professors offered extra credit in a video assignment if we included a dandelion. Did I do it? You betcha I did, and got an 'A' too!

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  4. I have never, ever understood why Dandelions are considered weeds. The are absolutely one of the most fun, sunny, magical, cheerful, useful flowers. They have always brought me joy and nothing is more beautiful than a bright day with dandelion dander floating about. I just love them. Glad I popped over- you put a smile on my face : ) ~ Jess

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  5. Jess - Thanks for popping in and thanks for your cheerful comments.

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  6. I was in a college class where we made music videos. As a joke the professor said he would give us extra credit for including a dandelion. You betcha I made that happen {and got an A}.
    Here's my video:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JNf5Xcf2XI&feature=plcp

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