Of Weeds and Time and Love

I have a confession to make: I get a little distracted, er, um, selfish sometimes.

I realized this (again) one evening last week when my 10-year-old daughter brought me some flowers from our yard. They were really just weeds, and I shirked them as just that. I smiled tritely and thanked her, asking that she not bring weeds into the house.

Hmm...

Not my best reaction to her thoughtfulness. No Oscar nominations given to me for "Best Role as Mommy."

Hmm...

I forgot about them until later when I finished cleaning up the kitchen for the night. They were wilted and tightly closed, still laying on the counter.

That's when my thoughtless/selfish behavior struck me.

I immediately took them and cut their stems at an angle -- just as you would an expensive bouquet. I put them in a small glass of water and left them for the night, feeling like a "crumb" for not doing so earlier in the presence of my daughter.

The next morning a glass of bright-eyed daisies greeted me on the kitchen counter. I felt a reprieve from my guilt. I wasn't too late.

I moved the glass to our table so we could enjoy them through all of our meals...and I could be reminded that love comes in all forms...and time is fleeting...and even weeds need to be appreciated.

A lesson from a 10-year-old who -- like the flowers she gave me -- is growing like a weed...far too quickly.

Life is short. Take time to smell the flowers...even the weeds.

* * *

Enjoy this video/song I found from Steven Curtis Chapman. It's all about time and love -- and made even more poignant with the recent loss of his 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue.

(Be sure to turn off/pause the sidebar video.)