by Sarah Earlene Shere, ©2025
(Apr. 25, 2025) — Many legends are told about the delicate blue flower known as the forget-me-not and how it got its name. But one has never been told until today.
Long ago, in the days when people of religion could not agree as to what true religion was and kings tried to silence those whose beliefs did not align with their own, there lived a man of faith who, truth be told, lived out the life and love of Christ better than all others. For this reason, he had enemies on all sides, for no one with themselves as their own god will tolerate someone who shines the light of truth.
All those in opposition to him agreed: he must be done away with. The only one who had such authority was the king himself. Thus the saint was taken by the palace guards and placed in the darkest dungeon. However, a spark of light is enough to set hope to flame.
Through one small window into the cell, children on the outside would come visiting their friend. The children of the village were the sole supporters of this holy man, as he was the only one who received them as Jesus had, with open arms and a loving heart of patience and understanding. Thus the youngest residents came flocking to his prison, dropping delicate blue flowers through the window in hopes of cheering him up. They shouted in after the flowers, “Forget me not,” then waited till they heard a voice inside call back the same.
One day, the reply did not come. Had the children but been able to see into the dark cell, they would have found that their friend had fallen asleep on this Earth in order to wake up in the presence of their Jesus they all loved so well. They would have seen what was later discovered by the palace guard: a man with a wistful expression on his gentle face lying on a bed of delicate blue flowers.
Sweet story