“Iris” by Trina Clark

My first interest in Irises was brought about simply because of the fact that my Memaw’s name was Iris. I’ve always been intrigued by the meaning of names, and I believe we all have the names we’re meant to have.  So, I looked up the meaning of “Iris” and found that it means “Rainbow.”  This, I discovered when I was going through some really tough emotional battles; and it seemed that every day, God delivered to me a rainbow by way of many types of messengers.  Needless to say, it held a new significance, and I found comfort there. The rainbow is a symbol of promise – of God’s covenant with man – and He uses it to remind us that He is still there, He’s still in control, and He has not forgotten us.  One of my favorite verses begins with “But God remembered Noah…” Gen. 8:1. Did He ever forget Noah? No. But those words are powerful to me, because they speak of God’s intentional and deliberate turning of His thoughts toward one man, who desperately needed to be remembered.

Although it isn’t within my belief system to adopt any spiritual convictions concerning mythology or pagan gods and goddesses, I did find some interesting material when I began to further research “Iris” today. It seems Iris (the daughter of Thaumus and the ocean nymph Electra), mythologically, was a Greek goddess of the sea and sky, and she was known as a messenger or a link between the gods and humanity. She was the symbol of faith, hope, wisdom, courage, admiration, communication, messages, the rainbow, new endeavors, grace toward others, lost love, and silent grief. She carried a ewer filled with water from the sea with which she was said to have put to sleep those who perjure themselves. Using the same ewer, she obtained water from the sea and deposited it into the clouds. The symbolism is rich and meaningful in my own life…as I can relate to many of those qualities. Again, I read this as many would watch a fiction movie or read a folk tale.  For the record, I believe in One True God, whose Son is Jesus Christ.

My very heart is one of a protector. My mission, or message, to the world is one of grace and forgiveness – to reveal that we all fall short, we all make mistakes, we all need grace (every single day)…and it’s freely given by our Creator through His perfect Son, Jesus.  We just have to accept it. The single thing that grieves me most is when I see one person taking advantage of another weaker person. A “Mama Bear” spirit rises within me, and although I’m gentle and quiet by nature, my protective instincts take over; and it can be a passionate exchange (to add color to something that’s quite ugly). The worst of the worst, in my opinion, is when one “Christian” bashes another Christian…or even worse yet, when a “Christian” bashes a non-Christian.  God revealed to me once that the love and the grace and the mercy that He has poured out on some of His shepherds is being dammed up, and it isn’t flowing out from those shepherds toward the sheep.  So, while the shepherds know and understand that they, themselves, need love, grace, and mercy, they aren’t willing to give with the same measure they’ve received.

Enter the Iris flower. To the casual onlooker, the Iris is, in fact, a beautiful flower; but she portrays so much more to me.  She is composed of several elements, including: the standards (three petals lifted heavenward), the fall (three petals reaching earthward), the style crest, the beard (on some), the haft, the pollen, the anther, and the stigmatic lip. Her name is “Iris” because of the fact that she comes in so many different colors…like a rainbow.

So here we have Iris, representing the rainbow, the goddess, and the flower. One of the common characteristics I found among them is the reaching upward and reaching downward. The rainbow stretches from the earth to the sky and then back to the earth again; the goddess was known as the link, or the messenger, between the gods and mankind; and the flower reaches with half of its beauty heavenward, while the other half stretches toward the earth.

If I were to create a character named Iris, I would say that she is detailed and complicated, yet she doesn’t impose herself on others. Her “standards” reach toward her Creator, while covering her innermost delicate parts, hiding her heart from others who are just passing through. Only those who pause long enough to touch her, to inspect her, and to open her up will successfully catch a glimpse of her inner beauty…which far exceeds her outward beauty. She’s a secret waiting to be shared…but only with the few who linger with her. The Iris wants to be known as well as she knows. She hears from heaven and she hears from earth, but she doesn’t reveal what she’s heard to everyone she meets. Filled with knowledge and understanding, she waits…to be known.

Her “fall” reaches out in compassion toward her fellow man. Iris is an encourager and she wants people to follow their dreams, using their God-given talents in ways which bring them fulfillment. She believes in hope, and she possesses a faith that doesn’t die, wisdom that doesn’t intrude, courage that knows its Source, and a gift for mediation and interpretation. Her compassion is unequalled toward those who are broken and suffer in silence. On the other hand, she doesn’t love all men equally, as she has no tolerance for lying and liars, nor does she have patience with those who persecute and oppress others.

I’ve always loved my “Memaw.” She left us way too soon, so I never knew her on an adult level. What I did know of her, though, was that she was a sweet, loving, kind person – and I know she loved me, too…I can see it in the pics of her holding me. I missed sharing her birthday by one day – hers was November 8, and mine is November 9. I don’t know why, but I feel such a strong connection to her; and I look forward to the day when I will see her again, talk with her, and learn more about her.

Iris – Goo Goo Dolls (City of Angels)
Songwriter: Rzeznik, John

And I’d give up forever to touch you
Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be
And I don’t want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it’s over
I just don’t want to miss you tonight

And I don’t want the world to see me
Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

And I don’t want the world to see me
Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I don’t want the world to see me
Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am