Dandelions & Rainbows ~ Pieces of My Soul

The following was compiled and placed in my quilt journal in December 2004 when I was preparing to gift Dandelions & Rainbows (my first work with batiks) to our family therapist (we were, as a family, coping with our son's illness, my illness, and my mother's Alzheimer's journey).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Out of difficulties grow miracles.”
Jean De La Bruyere

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As this quilt has evolved from the initial idea stage,
I have been reminded many times that
my so-called “dandelions” are important parts
of who I am and, when viewed
from a larger perspective,
are essential elements in the rainbow of my life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts,
the circle of Creation is completed inside us,
the doors of our souls fly open and love steps forth
to heal everything in sight.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rainbows

Thank you God for the pain that, like rain,
when filtered through sunshine
paints a rainbow
giving life a touch of beauty,
while reminding me of your promise
that you would never again
destroy mankind through a flood.

And that I need to remember
because sometimes I feel overwhelmed
by floods which threaten to engulf me
and destroy me,
and leave me sore afraid
when my cries for help seem
lost in the storms.

And then behind me where I couldn't see
I turn and see a rainbow
adding a touch of beauty to my life
and then I see even if I don't understand
that as rainbows are painted by raindrops
so faith, hope, and love
are somehow all painted by pain.
Dick Innes © 1996

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears."
John Vance Cheney

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A Dandelion Folk Tale

Father Sun and Mother Moon had many, many children; we know their children as the stars. When their baby stars grew old enough, they learned to carry twinkling yellow lamps to help their Mother light the night sky for the creatures of Earth.

Long ago, several of the youthful stars grew bored helping their Mother. One winter night they refused to twinkle and ran off to play instead. They ignored their Mother's repeated requests to return to their twinkling in the night sky.

Late that cold December night, a fierce Colorado Chinook blew out of the mountains and the wayward young stars, caught up by the sudden storm, were blown away from their playground in the sky, all the way to earth. When the winds subsided, the disoriented stars gazed up at their former home in the night sky, now so much darker without their twinkling, and they were scared.

In the morning they called out to their Father, the Sun. They begged him to help them get back up to the sky but their Father sadly replied that once something leaves the sky it cannot return.

The displaced young stars cried every night. Their heartbroken Mother Moon missed her children terribly and she frequently sang a song for them: 'Twinkle twinkle little stars, how I wonder where you are?' In time, the children of Earth heard her song and sang it along with her.

The long winter passed slowly. January, February, March... In April, Father Sun looked down and saw how despondent his children had become on the bare ground.

He heard his Moon wife continuing to sing her sad little song for their absent children and Father Sun took pity on them.

He turned his earthbound star children into sturdy little flowers so they could once again lift their yellow lamps.

The remorseful young stars were grateful to be able once again to share their twinkling lights. Today, their cheerful radiance continues to bring smiles to the faces of Earth’s children who still sing a version of Mother Moon’s lullaby.

We know these ebullient yellow flowers as dandelions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“What brings joy to the heart is not so much
the friend's gift as the friend's love.”
Saint Ailred of Rievaulx

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dandelions grow everywhere in abundance.
Known for their sturdiness,
they are not easily trampled on or uprooted.
Dandelions are democratic and egalitarian.
They choose their soil and location without prejudice.
Dandelion stems, roots, flowers and seeds are well known
for their medicinal properties.
And when dandelions transform from flowers to puffballs,
only the slightest breeze is necessary to send their magical
seed-wings flying to new locations.
Wherever they land, they find what they need to thrive.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~