Friday, July 22, 2011

Queen Anne's Lace


"What's in a name? 
That which we call a rose 
by any other name 
would smell as sweet..."

~ Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet


This weed to some is very special to me.  It's spread prolifically since its introduction to American soil from Europe and Asia.  You can find it in ditches, fields, edging the woods... every time I see it I'm reminded of one of my sweetest childhood memories.

x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

I was outside in the garden with my daddy.  I probably went to the edge of the woods to explore, as children do, and there he joined me.  I asked him about the pretty, lacy flowers growing there.  He explained they weren't something he'd planted.  In fact, they were considered a weed.

Why?... how could something so lovely be called a weed?  Daddy pulled weeds out of his gardens after all.  He explained that even weeds can be beautiful... and these certainly were.  Together we gathered a big cheery bouquet for our kitchen table.

Just like this so-called weed, 
you are not defined by what others may label you. 
You are beautiful because you were created by God.  

When my daughter Olivia was born, nearly 6 years ago, Queen Anne's lace was in full bloom...  Anne is her middle name not just because it sounds pretty with Olivia.  I chose that middle name with the hope she'd learn my daddy's lesson from me, and would pass it along to her children someday.

I can almost see her... kneeling down gently... drawing a little one close, perhaps next to the edge of the woods somewhere... "Do you see this flower?  Isn't it beautiful?  Let me tell you a story..."

3 comments:

  1. You are truly a woman after my own heart! I love this beautiful post. I just said to my daughter that I need to get a picture of the Queen Ann's Lace dotting a wheat field just up the road from us. I agree, in my heart it has never been a 'weed'...and you have penned a touching analogy. Thank-you for your comments and for sharing.

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  2. Janet, I appreciate your beautiful poetry and your comments on here. Both make my day! I love your perspective on even the smallest things in life. Very inspirational... thank you!

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  3. Thank-you Megan, so much! You inspire me and have encouraged me to keep writing. God bless.

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“Kind words can be short and easy to speak,
but their echoes are truly endless.”

~ Mother Teresa