We have a Rose of Sharon in our garden.  There was a creeping vine that was insidiously wrapping itself around many of the branches of the Rose of Sharon.  We thought the vine was choking out the Rose of Sharon, so I worked on removing its presence.  I discovered that the vine had grown rapidly and had spread up throughout the bush, wrapping itself tightly around just about every branch.

I cut the vines at their bases, and I uncoiled inch after inch of their stranglehold.  I began to see the vines as ruthless and dastardly; uninvited, yet brutally taking over.

That was a few days ago.  Today, I saw bright, beautiful blossoms bursting from all over the Rose of Sharon.  It seems that our assessment was correct, the vines were choking the bush, and the bush is now healthy and thriving.

…but there is a part of me that struggles.  I’ve always had mixed feelings about weeds.  I can’t blame them for doing their best to survive.  Some weeds are quite interesting, or bloom lovely and simple flowers.  When I was younger, I asked what made a weed a weed.  The essence of the answer was that it was something other than what was planned and desired.

Sometimes, I wonder which I am.  Who decides?  Am I what was planned and desired, or am I something else?  If something else, might I surpass whatever was imagined?  Will I get the chance?

For now, I will fight to survive and thrive; living valiantly and passionately like a weed, yet hoping to be seen as beautiful and worthwhile!