We had a serendipity this summer. Last winter the most serious ice storm we had ever seen destroyed our woods. Now we have a beautiful area filled with Jewel Weed. With the trees gone a whole new ecosystem has taken over. While we were most disappointed to lose our trees we have been amply rewarded with thousands of little orange flowers. The name weed seems to be a misnomer. It couldn’t have been any prettier had we planted them.
I don’t want to sound like Pollyanna, the little girl that refused to see bad in anything. However this is truly an unexpected blessing. God has touched the earth and it has responded with vibrant life. We should be wary of calling something a weed. I have seen students shock me with their success. They come into college as stumbling scholars and four years later graduate with honors. It is an awesome thing to see.
Actually it isn’t so bad to be like Pollyanna. So much of life isn’t what happens to us but how we choose to react. In the original Pollyanna story the missionary barrel only contained crutches when she was hoping for a doll. She was immediately thankful that she did not need them. Our attitudes create our environment. We feed on the remarks of others and they in turn feed off our remarks. In Proverbs 15 Solomon told us a soft answer turns away wrath. He also infers that a cheerful attitude turns away gloom and doom.
So go out and enjoy the dandelions. Actually they are really pretty both in the flower stage and in the round ball of seeds stage. Just don’t notice the leaves.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 5, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org