Thank You for Dandelions

Some see weeds, popping up all over the place where people don't want them to grow, spoiling the orderly look of an all green lawn. But I see a beautiful yellow flower, that is so resilient it grows even where it is unwanted, un-cared for, in the harshest conditions of drought or flood, cold or heat. I see a flower that brightens areas that people don't want color in, that brings variety and diversity to the mundane.  I see something that brings a lot of joy.

They pick them wherever they see them, bringing them to me proudly, presenting them as a prized possession saying "I love you!" as they hand them over and wait for their kiss.  They are a prized possession. I still ooh and aah at them and smell them and put them in water every time. They are beautiful on their own and they are breathtaking in the tiny hands of my children who hold them up to me with such love in their eyes.
Tomorrow we're celebrating mother's day, and all over the country moms will be disappointed at the way the day turns out. They will have wanted to go out to eat when their husband made food at home. They'll have wanted a break from the kids but the kids wanted to play. They'll have expected rest or some certain type of day that didn't come. And they will be frustrated that their chance is yet again over as the only day of the year for them to "catch a break" is ending. I have been that mom.
But tomorrow all over the world, mothers who have lost their children, or mothers who have never been able to have children will also be disappointed at the way the day turns out. They will try their best to ignore it or to make it nice for someone else, but all their best efforts will still leave them fighting back tears and with an emptiness inside that seems to get bigger with each day. I have been that mom too.
Maybe that's why I love dandelions. Because I've learned that when I let go of my expectations for the way the day, or my life, must be, I can see the beauty already there. If you are expecting green lawn and red roses, dandelions disappoint. But if you just wait to see what you'll get, you'll be thrilled when those pretty yellow flowers pop up and add color to your world.
Now maybe we can transmit this same thought to children. If we have a plan for things to be neat and orderly, children will disappoint. If we have a plan for big careers or fancy cars, children will  get in the way. They might take all our energy or money. But if we stop our planning and wishing and wait to see what God will do, we might see how children shine light into the dark. They are incredible, the way they brighten up our "orderly" lives. The way they persevere despite the harshest conditions and still smile so sweetly. They are resilient the way they fight to live even when they are un-wanted or un-cared for. And they bring a million times more joy than any career or fancy car.
If we're still wishing for roses, we'll never appreciate the beauty of the dandelions in front of us, and wow are they beautiful. I guess that's why God keeps sending them, to bring light into the dark, to add variety to the mundane.
Thank you God for dandelions and thank you for my beautiful children, I am so incredibly blessed to be their mom.