Silk Poppies ( I got mine at afloral and they were delivered to my door, I’ve linked them below) The poppy as a symbol of remembrance is gracing my door and you can make a summer poppy wreath too. So even something as silly and insignificant as a wreath on my front door, for me, this is an act of intention–to exist in the uncomfortable, to remember the pain of our brothers and sisters of color and to focus in on the lovely that is here too, in the chaos and darkness and hard things.
There are good people marching for change and healing. There are good men and women in uniform, sacrificing for their communities and providing for their families. I want to remember that even in the hard things there is good and lovely happening. I want to remember with intention all that is happening right now in our world. I don’t mean to stretch it past it’s intended purpose–to honor fallen soldiers at Memorial Day, but I think it may have a place in this season as well. It is often given as an act of consolation for a loss or death, with the white poppy used as a symbol of peace, it can symbolize restful sleep and even success and beauty *. The poppy comes in various colors and has long had meaning across many different cultures and throughout time. Red poppies have long been recognized as a symbol of remembrance to honor the fallen soldiers in WWI, becoming a national symbol in 1920 and I’m not trying to diminish this in any way because oh how thankful I am for their sacrifice. If there were ever a flower to symbolize this season I think it should be the poppy so I made a summer poppy wreath and I hope you make one too. In everything I am doing, the ordinary things even imperfectly so because I am human–the loving on my kids, making dinner, the interacting with strangers, financial support for organizations on the ground doing good work, calling a friend of color to let them know they are loved and I am sorry, the learning, the podcasts, the books being read, the quieting of my heart to make room for the good and meaningful, even the creating–ALL of it, I am trying to do it with intention.
So how do you go about anything with everything feeling well, wrong? My heart whispers, intention. The world is hurting and we need to remember the hurting.