Dandelions

A tiny dandelion is planted. Over time it grows and sprouts into a pretty yellow flower, ordinary yes but colorful all the same. Time passes and the flower ages, the yellow not as vibrant and it begins to wither; or so it is thought.  Soft white bristles replace the yellow flower. The night falls and morning follows, the "wish" flower now fully formed. The large white sphere stands tall among the crab grass, its flower soft and enticing. Young children gather to play and the "wish" flower is quickly snatched from the ground for the child believes the flower to be some sort of wish provider. With the last breath, she frees the soft white bristles that the wind may carry them through the air and find for them a new home.  The now barren stem is tossed to the ground and the child runs and plays, satisfied her wish flower will carry with it her inner most dreams and desires.  Funny, the ordinary dandelion, deemed a nuisance by most adults, quickly becomes a playmate to children. The white thistles graciously carried through the air with the help of the child and wind itself allow the dandelion to once again take root and grow, this time in several places. We are that dandelion should we choose to free ourselves from our rational mind, from conforming to societal misconceptions as we listen and act upon God in our lives. Disguised as ordinary dandelions we are able to grow and flower among the weeds, the hatred, the mistrust, the backstabbing that is our society. And as the night closes in we become transformed by warmth and love create which create wholeness, a completeness. When the sun casts it light over the playground and the child picks that dandelion, it is not the end rather it is the beginning for the dandelion is able to grow in many places. As dandelions we are able to grow in the faith,wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude and humility as the love of God penetrates our calloused hearts and they soften, not to the point of withering but to the point of readiness, able to be shared with the world.  Just as the wind carries the soft thistle through the air and gently sets it down that it may take root, so, too, we live our faith that it may be shared and grow even deeper in the love of Christ. We need not fear turning from the yellow flower into the white wish for it is because of the the latter that we are permitted and obligated to share our faith, our love, our God with others. It is in letting go of the encumbrances of the day, that we begin to share the visions of God. Fear of change, fear of morphing into something other than the yellow flower will keep us living among the crabgrass. It is in sharing ourselves that we become who we are and we see our worth, our worth to God, our worth in God.  Simply accepting who we are sets us free that we are able to clearly envision our worth.  With pedals of faith we grow strong in the word of God.  As the crab grass multiplies laterally along the ground, our faith allows us to grow vertically that the nuance of the pointy leaves which protect the crab grass are of no consequence.  This is not to say that we are better than other, no for we are all created in the image and likeness of God and therefore all deserve love; deserve to be love; deserve to walk in the greatness of God.  We all have the ability to bloom into dandelions though some will choose to live among the crab grass. Life is a choice, we can choose to accept the reality of God, the reality of love, the reality of life not confided to the physical, the material, the contrived theories of this world or we can grow like weeds along the ground and wait to be trampled upon or sprayed with pesticides.  Human life brings with it a multitude of riddled emotions, painstaking divisions and calamity which perplexes the soul.  We wander and wonder, we cry and laugh, anxiety chokes while faith breathes into our very soul the breath of life.  These will be the best times of our life as will they be the worst for the dichotomy of the human spirit can drive a person mad should they subscribe to a listless spirit.  The Spirit of God dwells within us, the Spirit of God guides us if we but listen, believe and accept.  Holy are we, blessed are we to be temples of The Lord, walking embodiments of God's promise, Christ's love and the Spirit's virtues.  Rooted in faith, life becomes more than a field of crab grass, life becomes beauty, life becomes purpose-filled for God extends His hand and leads us through each turn.  As our hearts beat, we begin to grow ever strengthened by faith enveloped in love.  It is love which keeps us looking at life with eyes of compassion and hearts of empathy.  The chaos of this world, the pressures which multiple can be elevated with the love of Christ, the same love with which we are equipped.  Our duty, our mission is to bring this love to the surface that all may feel, that all may grow in this love; thus recognizing God among us.  Hope, too, our light in the darkness for the heaviness of this world weighs upon our shoulders and has the potential to crush, to asphyxiate our breath, causing life to cease.  But hope opens our eyes, showing us that darkness need not be feared and the weight we thought causing our claustrophobia was nothing more than our own mind contriving visions, instilling fear and placating the reality of God.  Quickly we begin to see that human affairs have no stronghold upon our soul and we need not grapple with the haunting frustrations of the time-filled days for our soul is timeless and our heart strong.  We fear not our heart for it speaks with authority and we listen with intensity for we have been gifted with the virtue of fortitude.  Fortitude, our protector, and the world more colorful, more alive, less frightening because we can decipher that which deems to threaten and that which serves to strengthen.  And so the sun shines upon our fields, the dew has fallen and the droplets of water glisten, inviting acceptance of beauty.  Though this life but a mystery God has granted us the wisdom to dissect the truth of reality from the "truth" of the mind and the "truth" fabricated by humanity; thus our fears are nothing more than the mind's manipulation of fact and fiction.  Consultations of the heart prevent fear from seeping into the soul and clouding our vision.  As the clouds lift the sun, once again, shines upon our fields illuminating the beauty if the dandelion.  The Son warms our hearts with love and we become the beauty of the field.  As we grow we shed the yellow of the dandelion for we have learned humility and need not be enticed by the effervescent yellow.  Our beauty is recognized from within, we know our worth and accept God's love as our own.  Life, in the beauty of the field, now the beauty of individual persons shared as "wish" flowers that all may grow in this love, in this beauty of God.  The white of the now "wish" flower takes flight with a gentle rustle of the breeze, spreading to the next field.  As the soft, white pedals soar through the air, they are not seen for the are but a speck in the existence of humanity.  We need not be seen, only felt for the love of Christ to spread, for the all God's people to accept the beauty of their soul.   And so we go unnoticed, humility our guide to living our gift of faith, growing in wisdom and understanding love.  Let us rest in the warmth of the Son.