Weeds in the Garden

For the last eighteen years I've had flower gardens that have been works in progress.  Are you ever really finished with a flower bed?  I don't think so: rearranging, splitting and adding to my beds every year gives me a lot of pleasure.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret, there are a couple of weeds blooming in my beds.  Yep - you heard me, I actually have two 'weeds' that I'm passing off as flowers. 

I didn't start off planning on letting these weeds bloom, in fact I tend to be a little ruthless with the weeds (at least until July when I get tired of weeding!).  These weeds though pulled off a little trick, they started flowering before I could yank them out.  I was so enchanted by the flowers that these weeds produced that I've left them in the garden.  Not only are they in the garden, they're not in a spot they really belong!  I like my gardens to be symetrical, these weeds tend to make it a little asymetrical.  In my opinion it adds a little interest to the garden.

As I was weeding I was thinking about how thankful I was for the weeds (yeah - you heard that too!) and how they reminded me of the 'weeds' that pop up in our own lives.  While at the time those weeds don't seem like a blessing think about it, how many times when you've received dandelion bouquets have you given thanks for your children.  Dandelions are the ultimate weed but they bring beauty and thankfulness into your life.

Here's some of the reasons why I'm thankful for my weeds:

• If we didn't have a yard, I wouldn't be able to have a garden and then I wouldn't be able to have my weeds
• Ugly weeds nestled up against a flower makes you appreciate the beauty of the flower all the more
• Pulling weeds is a good stress reliever.  Nothing like taking your anger out on a weed
• Weeds give us an opportunity to be together as a family.  When we're preparing for a party it's all hands on deck to make sure the gardens are in tip top shape.  Pulling weeds is a nice way to spend time with the kids, they seem to open up about topics when they're out working in the yard.
• Weeds add a little bit of interest into my garden

What about you?  Are you thankful for your weeds?

I've linked this up over at Women Living Well, if you are visiting from there I'd like to thank you for visiting my blog.