“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I live near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Today, July 27, is the 42nd day with no measurable rainfall. This is amazing for several reasons. One, this area gets an average of 66 inches of rain a year compared to Seattle, which is famous for its rain as it is its coffee, that gets only 38 inches. Two, the rain rolls in here and just lingers around the foothills dumping rain, rain and more rain. All this rain keeps the grass growing and the moss green.

During this 42 day dry spell, the grass has turn brown and is as dry bed of straw. However when I look across my lawn it is speckled with spots of green. Those green spots are the weeds. The drought conditions have killed everything —- what I don’t water dies, but the weeds seem to flourish even when conditions are dry, hot and harsh.

I did a bit of research on this phenomenon and it seems several things contribute to this; in dry conditions weed seeds are protected from bacteria and fungus that break them down which preserves them until the rains return. The other reason is that weeds have strong deep root systems that are successful in searching out the water deep in soil.

Weeds are survivors —- strong, with deep roots and their renewal systems are protected. I know some people that are like weeds, no matter what life throws at them they dig deep for the the water of life to give them the strength to face each new day. They store up the seeds of hope and joy, so that after they have survived the hot dry harsh circumstances, those seeds flourish in another season.

So as I look around my dead and dying lawn dotted with green blotches and I think I may prefer to be a weed. When life is harsh, I want to be a survivor and maybe, just maybe, I have virtues that are not yet discovered.