This is the third of a series of columns by the author on The Daffodil Project in Upstate New York, which honors the memory of children who perished in the Holocaust.

Sitting with tootsies in the soil, watching a toddler take tentative steps among the rows of daffodils, an emotional glance, a hat to shield the sun, two flowered shirts — these are images of a hopeful future that fill my heart with joy.

The images capture moments at an event in Morningside Park and Campground, located in Fallsburg, N.Y. To date, it marks the largest planting of yellow daffodil bulbs in Sullivan County, as part of the worldwide Daffodil Project (www.daffodilproject.net), supported by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.

The sea of six thousand yellow daffodils, honoring the memory of the children who perished in the Holocaust, are framed by hand-laid wooden beams, inserted by the crew at the Town of Fallsburg Park and Campground.

As a volunteer ambassador for the Daffodil Project, I greet people each time we put out a call for volunteers to gather and plant. Who will come? It is never certain. How many will come? Undetermined. What I do know is that someone else will be by my side, standing in the soil, digging holes and placing bulbs. And I know, as certain as I type these words for you to read, that I am richer for this experience.

Am I richer with money in the bank? That I am not. So, how am I richer? Through the smiles, the intergenerational chatter, the hugs and the visitors who provide deposits in the bank of hope.

What happens next? Perhaps another organization will reach out to create a daffodil garden. Perhaps someone will pause to look at the sea........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)