A Matter of Perspective

It has been said that a weed is a desirable plant that has just grown in the wrong place. This is very true in many cases. During the summer I was working out in the field and my wife made the comment to me, that she wishes we could get rid of the milkweed that grows in places around the field. Ilooked at her and said I would like to see a half acre of the field covered in nothing but milkweed. Janet asked me why, and I told her, when I look at milkweed I can smell the sweet aroma of the flowers as they bloom in the summer. I look and I can see the monarch butterflies flitting from flower to flower as they feed (Monarchs love milkweed and it protects them from many predators as the predators do not like the taste of the monarch as it takes on the flavor of the milkweed) Ialso see my children standing in the field as youngsters picking the pods and pulling the seeds out and blowing them into the wind and then saying "Look daddy angels floating over us" Yes when some people look at the milkweed they see a noxious plant that seemingly has nothing to offer, but they don't look beyond the plant to the beauty it brings with it, and the wonderment of children at play. What a boring world it would be if we didn't have children watching the "angels" floating on the breeze. Yes things may appear as weeds in our lives, noxious and unneeded, but if you dig deeper and look at them deeper you may see the beauty they put into your life because they are there. An illness or medical condition may be a pain, but it may make you slow down enough in your life that you actually take time to smell the roses. A layoff from work may give you the time to lay on your back with your children and see the animals that float over head in the clouds. These weeds, may also be God's way of leading us on to greater things and becoming more elegant and beautiful humans as the milkweed helps create and protect the monarch butterfly. Life is all a matter of perspective, and hwo we look at it determines how we react to it. Be positive and understanding and life becomes positive and understanding to you.