Queen Anne's Lace

"What's in a name? 

That which we call a rose 

by any other name 

would smell as sweet..."

~ Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

This weed to some is very special to me.  It's spread prolifically since its introduction to American soil from Europe and Asia.  You can find it in ditches, fields, edging the woods... every time I see it I'm reminded of one of my sweetest childhood memories.

x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

I was outside in the garden with my daddy.  I probably went to the edge of the woods to explore, as children do, and there he joined me.  I asked him about the pretty, lacy flowers growing there.  He explained they weren't something he'd planted.  In fact, they were considered a weed.

Why?... how could something so lovely be called a weed?  Daddy pulled weeds out of his gardens after all.  He explained that even weeds can be beautiful... and these certainly were.  Together we gathered a big cheery bouquet for our kitchen table.

Just like this so-called weed, 

you are not defined by what others may label you. 

You are beautiful because you were created by God.  

When my daughter Olivia was born, nearly 6 years ago, Queen Anne's lace was in full bloom...  Anne is her middle name not just because it sounds pretty with Olivia.  I chose that middle name with the hope she'd learn my daddy's lesson from me, and would pass it along to her children someday.

I can almost see her... kneeling down gently... drawing a little one close, perhaps next to the edge of the woods somewhere... "Do you see this flower?  Isn't it beautiful?  Let me tell you a story..."