Fleur de Lis
Fleur
de Lis
“…nothing
will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of
the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel
departed from her. Luke 1:37-38
Its
summer!!!!! The kids just finished school yesterday, and I am not sure who is
more excited about the days ahead, the kids or me. We celebrated the last
half-day of school over Hawaiian shaved ice with friends. Then, at home, I
ceremoniously put up the big family-size hammock we have, anticipating
enjoyable hours of reading and resting together. I called my mother-in-law to
talk crawfish, paddle-boats, zoo fun, museum visits, weather forecasts, and
family antics in excited anticipation of our trip to visit New Orleans. The
kids pulled out Twister and Guess Who, and we played a few rounds of each game,
giddy with the freedoms of no homework.
We
have trips planned to New Orleans, Klamath Falls, and Idaho Falls. We have
tennis and golf camps scheduled for the children. We have plans to pick fresh
berries from the wealth of the local fruit farms, and good intentions to learn
to make jam. We have plans to learn how to pickle gherkins and beans with my
parents when they visit in late summer. We have fishing poles to try out at the
local fishing holes. We have bikes to ride and basketball to be played. We have
promises made for fitting in lots of swimming at the pool, and play dates with
friends. We have reading logs printed, and even if the kids aren’t keeping them
(as they claim they won’t), I am. This is a summer where it is exceptionally
easy to say “let it be done unto me!” I am all in! This one looks like a blast!
But, not every summer has been so. I’ve had summers of working, summers hot and
uncomfortably heavy with the end of pregnancy and childbirth, a summer with
tragedy of watching Hurricane Katrina hit homes of family and friends in New Orleans,
summers of moving overseas, summers moving between neighborhoods. I wouldn’t appreciate the joys of this
summer nearly so much, if I hadn’t lived through those more challenging
summers.
In
particular, as I am looking forward to revisiting New Orleans, it has me
thinking of a favorite emblem of that city: the fleur de lis. I have a very
sweet friend made on Guam. She’s originally from Louisiana and we bonded over
po’boys, Mardi Gras, shrimp boils, and Bible studies. She taught me about one
meaning of the fleur de lis, and I have loved it so much more ever since. She
explained how the band holding the three main petals of the flower represents
Mary’s “fiat,” her “let it be done unto me,” her “yes” to becoming Jesus
mother. I am particularly fond of this
fleur de lis in our home, because it is double-banded, and reminds me that
Joseph also had a “fiat” moment, a time where he had to say “yes” in listening
to the dream the Lord gave him and taking Mary, mysteriously pregnant as she
was, as his wife. The three petals symbolize the Trinity of God as the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. The bands representing Mary and Joseph’s individual
“yeses” help hold the delicate petals of the Trinity together. These were not
“yeses” given for comfort and fun. These were “yeses” given in uncertainty,
extreme oddity, confusion, doubt, and mystery. Mary’s “yes” continued to the
point of watching her only son die, and then even carrying on in her life after
his death, caring for John and the other apostles. Continuing to say yes to
what God gave her, no matter if it was quieter, happier days of Jesus growing
up years in Nazareth, or confusion and pain around his birth and death.
Trinity
of Love, bonds of Mary and Joseph, help me enjoy and greatly appreciate these
wonderful summer times we have planned, especially knowing that saying “yes” to
what is in front of me in this lifetime has not always been, and will not
always be this easy. Keep all of
my friends and family steady in their ways of saying “yes” to God, and please bless
their summers with as many sunny, easy, restful, fun activities as You
can. Amen.
