Yesterday, I spent some time on my hands and knees gingerly digging up one of the tiniest of bulbs….Star of Bethlehem. The little baby bulbs of a parent bulb are the size of a small bead or peppercorn. The young bulb will produce a single sliver of dark green foliage, almost like a blade of grass. If you aren’t looking, you would never find them. But yesterday, I needed a mental breather so to the garden I went….in search of the Star.
I remembered where I had once had the beautiful patches of this lovely bulb. Most of the original bulbs had been salvaged after the flood, and I was on the hunt for any bulbs that had been left behind.
My Star of Bethlehem collection came from a field that had once held a Catholic Church. The Church burned to the ground many moons ago. All that remained was a really cool old iron fence and Star of Bethlehem growing wild. These particular bulbs are dear to my heart….not only because the name is so incredibly beautiful, but the flower is full of meaning and symbolism.
Star of Bethlehem is a symbol of hope. The bulbs are associated with the birth of Christ, and the flowers symbolize the traits of Jesus…..purity, forgiveness, restoration, joy and hope. Legend has it that the true “Star of Bethlehem” was used to guide the wise men to the Christ Child. God thought the Star was too beautiful to banish from the earth. Instead, the brilliant Star burst into millions of pieces, becoming beautiful white flowers that grace countrysides all over the world. Star of Bethlehem flowers are often giving as gifts to loved ones during times of weddings, baptisms and funerals….symbolizing hope.
Searching for the Star of Bethlehem in my “once-was” overgrown garden of weeds is much like finding the Christ Child within the chaos of modern life. If you don’t look, you might just miss Him. There are so many things that overwhelm us. In a land of consumerism, the truest meaning of the Season can be overlooked.
Not intentionally……just hidden.
Star of Bethlehem reminds me of the purest qualities of the Christmas Season….hope, joy, innocence, forgiveness and restoration. Star of Bethlehem keeps my mind focused where it needs to be, and in that, I am grateful.
I left my old gardens with 4 more buckets of random bulbs, including about 30 little,tiny slivers of green. Each time I dug one up, I delighted in the fact that I found a little Star of Bethlehem…..amidst all the weeds.
Happy Gardening, my friends!