In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts Bring sad thoughts to mind._ William Wordsworth.

As I look out upon my garden on a warm spring day and admire the golden daffodils blazing there I am reminded of the strengths of a human life. My grandmother, my nana, chose daffodils as her favorite flower. Daffodils possess an amazing stamina and their energies are revealed year after year as they return miraculously multiplied. In spring the crocuses may appear soonest, but they offer just a groundcover of genuflecting confetti upon the earth, whereas the daffodils stand proud and accept the compliment the crocuses pay. The daffodil's immense strength is shown in its ability to survive both the hottest of springtime temperatures and the harshest of late winter frosts--they seemingly can cope with anything life throws at them.

They are never more striking than when a blanket of snow lies all about their bright golden blooms, highlighting even more their welcoming springtime display.

Following the daffodils come the tulips with their spears penetrating the earth as they await fair weather before daring to raise their heads to follow the daffodil's inspiration. But the tulips cannot outshine the daffodils, as their colors are gaudy to excess when compared to the uniformed hues of daffodils--the one true precious gem amongst the many colorful trinkets vying for our attention.

As spring continues to envelop our lives I watch the nourishing rains fall and my eye follows the jeweled droplets as they roll from the daffodil's leaves, and I am reminded of a Vietnamese proverb. The rains on leaves, it is said, are the tears of Gods. I try to focus on the rain, but a kaleidoscope of images appear as tears well up in my own eyes. It was springtime when Nana died. After ninety-seven years she left us just as the younger, stronger daffodils were emerging from the slowly thawing ground in the world's colder climates. Nana left behind her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren--she multiplied like the daffodils she favored. Her strength and inspiration affected many lives.

A light rain fell on the morning we said goodbye to nana and God's tears appeared like gems on the daffodils by her side. Florence May Austin (1901_1999)._