Who says when I bloom? How do you know the life I have had? How do you know my circumstances? How do you know what matters to me? I am blooming in this moment because it feels important to bring in love and beauty, special gifts of mine according to Persian literature. Also of note is my association with the Chinese goddess of mercy, Guanyin, as well as the resurrection of Jesus because of my white flowers offering hope and renewal. I am the paperwhite – free to be me – blooming outside in early winter. If I am given a little water and a good place to grow inside, I can bloom any time of year, and am a holiday favorite, even in lands where my friends outside are blanketed in snow.
Have you ever gotten a whiff of my sweet scent? No wonder I make such a great indoor flower! You may be thinking I must be careful not to boast. After all, I am also called Narcissus, which is the name of a young man in Greek mythology so in love with himself that he died staring at his own reflection in the water. I have worked many blooming seasons on balancing my pride with my confidence. Rather than downplay my greatness, I am choosing to use my magnificence to serve the world. Why should I hide that?!
So what if the official time for me to bloom here is early spring. Had you been planted with the same love given to me when I was placed in the soil below a redbud tree alongside a reflecting pond, you too would be in a hurry to bloom. Seems appropriate to be placed beside water where I can see my reflection, don’t you think?!
I multiply as if by magic – not from seeds, garden romance, or the sharing of pollen – but from working unseen, underground in darkness to generate offshoots of babies that grow from my bulb. I now look at a single paperwhite bulb and see all of the promise it holds. Let me not judge, but have compassion for the life experience of each individual bulb. My role is to witness their blooming, fading, and going dormant to begin again with renewed energy and greater understanding of their purpose. May they find their strength and inner knowing that they too are free to be themselves.
Weep not for my early blooming. See that I am working in my own time as I bring beauty into the world and invite you to do the same.