Fields of Dandelions, How Glorious

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower,

and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh

The weather has been gorgeous in Colorado this week... sunny and warm. Summer has finally arrived. The rewards of all of the gardeners who took advantage of the Memorial Day weekend, to tend to their flower beds, are noticeable everywhere. Delightful colors, charming yards filled with sights that would please any artist or photographer.

This is the time of year that we also begin to see our old friends the dandelions. No matter how hard we try to pull them up, you can never seem to get the whole thing. Part of the root stays in the ground, sometimes going as deep as 3 feet to find water, threatening to grow up and bloom again.

But despite their bad reputation, dandelions are pretty little flowers. They are the most beautiful of all when offered in the grip of a small child’s hand... and guess what, no one ever gets yelled at for picking them. Perhaps they were created only to be used and enjoyed by children.

According to ehow.com, “The dandelion is considered a weed, a flower, or a vegetable depending on your point of view. While dandelions are considered a pesky weed when they crop up on a lawn, they have many benefits. They are a plant that attracts ladybugs and provides them with a source of nourishment. Dandelions can be eaten, and studies have shown that they are rich in vitamin B, C, and D as well as iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus. The dandelion also goes by other names such as “lion’s tooth” and “priest’s crown.”

Dandelions are ignored or attacked, never nurtured or cared for, and yet they always grow and multiply. Did you know that dandelions can produce up to 20,000 seeds? They require no special attention to produce their bright blossoms; they just “pop up” in fields, in lawns and between cracks in the sidewalk. Can you image trying to grow them in a garden? They’d sneak out of their borders, with no limitations, and reposition their sunny yellow faces in the neighbor’s lawn, or nearby fields and gardens. They would never stay put!

It’s Friday, Let’s Sparkle... action required...   Maybe we should all try to become a “dandelion” kind of Christian, letting others know that our faith is rooted deeply in God --- spreading His word wherever we plant ourselves. Our dandelion fields would show the world that even though we may not be the fanciest, largest or sweetest smelling flowers, we can be found everywhere, and we’re hard to get rid of.

In Matthew 28, verse 19 we are commanded, “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” So come on “dandelion” Christians, as we go about our weekend activities, let’s get out of the garden, and jump across the boundaries that keep us where people expect to find us. We need to make a presence,  become "fields of dandelions" and show our sunny faces in all the spots that need a little brightening up.

I’m curious...What is your favorite flower?

I’m partial to sunflowers... tall, distinctive, and very hardy. I remember my mother-in-law had the most beautiful gardens and some of the tallest sunflowers I had ever seen. I once read that if you look at the sunflower, it actually looks like the sun.  How cool!  As a Christian, looking like the “Son” (being “Christ-like”) is an essential part of my faith.  Being a “sunflower” ... I like that idea, too :)

Have a blessed weekend, and be sure to take time to stop & smell the flowers.
God’s Peace, Donna Weaver

“Those that be planted in the house of the Lord

shall flourish in the courts of our God.”

– Psalm 92:13

(Excerpts of this post have been taken from a story I came across in 2008, called “Dandelions and Cracked Pots”- author unknown)