• My Floral Bouquet #6
These floral beauties are daisies, that I captured in Estonia. Daisies are quite common flowers, found in so many places. Daisies are, to me, rather simple flowers, rather symmetrical with only two colors with the clean white pedals. They have a clean crisp look in contrast to the green foliage. These flowers impressed me as healthy and good looking.
At first glance, there is nothing unique to identify them, individually, like many flowers, they all look the same.
This collection of Daisies are from Rakevere, Estonia. A little different from the former ones, but none the less, equally attractive in their simplicity, maybe a few more white pedals.
When I think of daisies I recall a tract called Daisy Chains that I read at Moody Bible Institute while I was there in the 60’s. It was written by Amy Carmichael from her book entitled Things As They Are. I found my original copy and I thought I would include it here.
Daisy Chains by Amy Carmichael
“The tom-toms thumped on all night, and the darkness shuddered round me like a living, feeling thing. I could not go to sleep, so I lay awake and looked; and I saw, and it seemed like this:
That I stood on a grassy sward, and at my feet a precipice broke sheer down into infinite space. I looked, but saw no bottom, on cloud shapes, black and furiously coiled; and great shadow-shrouded hollows, and unfathomable depth. Back I drew, dizzy at the depth.
Then I saw forms of people moving single file along the grass. They were making for the edge. There was woman with a baby in her arms and another little children holding on to her dress. She was on the verge. Then I saw that she was blind. She lifted her foot for the next step…it trod air. She was over, and the children over with her. Oh, the cry as they went over!
Then I saw more streams of people flowing from all quarters. All were blind, stone blind; all made straight for the precipice edge. There were shrieks, as they suddenly knew themselves falling, and a tossing up of helpless arms, catching, clutching at empty air. But some went over quietly and fell without a sound.
Then I wondered, with a wonder that was simply agony, why no one stopped them at the simply agony, why no one stopped them at the edge. I could not. I was glued to the ground, and I could not call. Though I strained and tried, only a whisper would come.
Then I saw that along the edge there was sentries set at intervals. But the intervals were too far great; there were wide, unguarded gaps between. And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, quite unwarned; and the green grass seemed blood red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of Hell.
Then I saw, like the picture of peace, a group of people under some trees, with their backs turned towards the gulf. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piecing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them, it distracted them and they thought it rather a vulgar noise. And if one of their number started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all of the others would pull that one down. “Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite ‘call’ to go. You have to finish your daisy chains. It would be really selfish,” they said, “to leave us to finish the work alone.”
There was another group. It was made up of people whose great desire was to get some sentries out; but they found that very few wanted to go, and sometimes there were no sentries for miles and miles at the edge.
Once a girl stood in her place, waving the people back; but her mother and other relatives called, and reminded her that her furlough was due; she must not break the “rules.” And, being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest awhile; but on one was sent to guard her gap, and over and over the people fell, like a waterfall of souls.
Once a child caught at the turf of grass that grew at the very brink of the gulf, the child clung convulsively, and it called, but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way, and with a cry the child went over, its two little hands still holding tight to the torn-off bunch of grass.
And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at which her relatives reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary anywhere–the gap would be well taken care of, they knew. And they sang a hymn.
Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon ME, for I knew what it was –the cry of the blood.
Then thundered a Voice, the voice of the Lord; and He said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And He said, Go, and tell this people.” …Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature…and lo, I am with you always.” (Isaiah 6:8; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:20).”
This story effected me, but that would be an understatement. How does this effect you?
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