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Weeds and their Ways
In my garden and in my life
What child hasn’t enjoyed dandelions? Sunny yellow and attractive to the eye, but all the more fun when their shaggy heads turn soft and white. What delight little ones find in blowing those seeds and watching them float away in the wind!
Buttercups are cheerful too. Many a time in my childhood did I pluck one to hold it under someone’s chin, confirm that the yellow sheen was reflected on their skin, and declare: “You like butter!”
Adults, however, tend to be party-poopers; they classify such plants as weeds. I already knew dandelions were famous enemies of those who dream of perfect lawns and gardens. However, a few summers ago, I offered to give my Dad a hand in his garden, and learned that buttercups are weeds, too! As I struggled with them, it hit me that weeds in our lives can also be deceptive and pernicious.
A weed, says the dictionary, is “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially one that tends to overgrow or…
