The 128 most classic philosophical essays in the world

Chapter 109

[United States] Joan Anderson Janney
That pink saffron bloomed for only one day, but it strengthened my faith for life.

It was an autumn morning, and my husband and I had just moved into our first house of our own.Looking out the window, I saw my father working mysteriously on the front lawn.My parents lived nearby, and when they heard we were moving, my father would often come over to help. "What are you doing there?" I asked loudly.

He smiled and raised his head: "I want to give you a surprise." I know my father, and the surprises he creates can be described as strange.As a wholesaler, he often makes some interesting things out of scraps.When I was a kid, he made us a sports equipment set out of just a few wheels and a tackle.Another time I held a Halloween party at home, he made a jack-o-lantern, tied it to a broomstick, and hid in the bushes outside the door, and when the guests came to knock on the door, he would suddenly tie the jack-o-lantern to a broom handle. The broom handle of the jack-o-lantern stretched out in front of the guests, startling them.

I asked repeatedly that day, but my father refused to disclose the details, and because I was busy tidying up the new house, I finally forgot my father's surprise.

Until the beginning of March of the following year, on a gloomy and cloudy day, I stood in front of the window and looked at the patches of snow that were no longer pure and white on the lawn. Are you still refusing to leave?

Suddenly I saw a smear of pink miraculously appearing on a pile of snow. Could it be that I had hallucinations?I widened my eyes and looked carefully, and there was clearly a little light blue on the other side of the yard, which added vitality to the long-silent earth.I picked up my coat and couldn't wait to run out to see what happened.It turned out to be some saffron, scattered in a patchwork pattern on the grass in the front yard, there are lilac, light blue, light yellow and my favorite pink, petite flowers swaying in the bitter cold wind.This must be the surprise my father wanted to give me!He knows that the darkness and bleakness of winter often make me feel depressed. What else can bring me a sense of vitality at the right time than this little flower?My chest is full of warmth, not only because I can have flowers to accompany me in this late winter, but also because I have a father who knows my heart so well.

Every early spring since then, the saffron planted by my father will bloom as scheduled, and every time the saffron blooms, I will think of the words my father often used to encourage me: the difficult days are about to pass, persevere, don’t be discouraged, the light will come is coming.

Perhaps because of neglect of management, after a few years, the saffron blooms were not as lush as before, and gradually, we no longer saw saffron in our yard.I miss the saffron days, but I was so busy at the time, and I knew nothing about gardening, I wanted to ask my father to replant some bulbs.But I was trapped by the trivial matters of life and the complexity of work every day, and finally put this matter aside.

A few years later, my father passed away suddenly, and the whole family was deeply saddened. We could face this sudden blow only with our strong beliefs.Although I know that my father will still be with us in the dark, I still miss him very much. It is even more sad to think that he will never be able to bring me surprises in the future, and he will never be able to help me plant the saffron that relieves depression. .

Another four years later, on a gloomy early spring afternoon, I was driving home from work, and suddenly felt so depressed that I knew it must be the winter depression again, which seemed to have become an annual must-have. It has been a miserable time, but this time it seems to me that there are other reasons.

Later, I remembered that it was my father's birthday, and I couldn't help thinking about my father's attitude towards life and the beliefs he had always held when he was alive.I once saw him take off his coat and give it to the homeless.He also often chatted with strangers who passed by the wholesale store, and once he learned that they were poor and hungry, he would take them home for a feast.But at this moment I can't help but wonder, how is my father doing now, how is he?Where is he now?Is there really a paradise of happiness in the legend?
But then I felt a sense of guilt for my doubts, and I realized how difficult it is sometimes to hold onto beliefs.

Before I knew it, I had arrived home and got out of the car. I habitually glanced at the still lifeless grass, but I was suddenly stunned. In the muddy grass and the snow that had already turned gray, facing the In the bleak cold wind, a pink saffron stood upright.

And it has been 18 years since my father planted saffron for me!How could this bulb have sprouted and bloomed after being buried in the soil for so many years?Is this another surprise my father gave me in the dark?Is he trying to use this little flower to convey some meaning to me?Father's words echoed in my ears again: Persevere, don't be discouraged, the light is coming.I was so excited that tears blurred my eyes.

That pink saffron bloomed for only one day, but it strengthened my faith for life.

Heart mark notes
Fathers will not express their care and love for us with gentle and euphemistic words like mothers, but behind the scenes of silence, they use actions to set an example for us and teach us our attitude towards life.Maybe my father can't bring us a rich life, maybe my father can't tell us any profound principles of life, but my father tells us with his actions that life is beautiful and life is gorgeous.

Father's persistent belief and love are like a seed that can adapt to any environment, take root, germinate, bloom, and bear fruit. When he is not around us, let the seed tell us that as long as we have faith, no matter how difficult we are, Days will pass.

(End of this chapter)