Weeds aka Crab Grass

I am in Poplar Bluff for a few days of rest and relaxation.  I'm taking a much needed break.  Poplar Bluff is "home" to me.  My mom and step-dad still live here and they provide a great "bed and breakfast" for me from time to time. 

This is also where my daddy and my son are buried together. They are buried in the Veterans section of City Cemetery.  As I shared in an earlier post, my son wanted to be buried with his "Pa" so some of his ashes were placed in an urn and buried at my daddy's feet.  There are two markers there. One for daddy at the head of the grave showing his service in WWII and one at the foot of the grave for George's service in Operation Enduring Freedom.  I went to visit them today around dusk.

Since George's death, I have had a florist make matching pieces every few months to place above their markers.  When I drove up and got out of the van to say "hi" to my two favorite Georges, I noticed that their flowers were gone.  And their flags were gone.  It made me sad to see nothing there except two tiny very worn out flags that had come off of the flower arrangements.  Someone had tried to stick them in the ground above the markers.  And as I got closer I noticed that the mowers had slung grass on top of the markers, and weeds, aka crab grass, were beginning to creep up on the edges of the markers. 

I had an ache in my heart to see not only the flowers gone, but for some reason, today, that crab grass really bothered me.  I had a vision of it overtaking their markers and covering them completely until I would never be able to see them again.  And I felt as if that crab grass was choking the breath out of me. 

I've had time to contemplate all of this for several hours now and here is what has come to mind.  It is amazing how quickly weeds can overtake things.  My mom and step-dad had been out just a few weeks earlier to visit the grave and everything was in good condition, the flowers were still there and the markers were clean.  In those few short weeks since their visit, the flowers had disappeared, the markers had collected some debris and the weeds had begun their attempt to swallow up anything in their way.

A good gardener takes care daily to pull out any weeds that could become a threat to their plants. Could it be, that in our grieving process and in our lives in general, we need to attempt daily to pull out any weeds, aka crab grass, aka negative thoughts that could overtake and swallow us up?  Just like weeds can quickly overtake a beautiful garden, our "weeds" such as fear, anger, bitterness, unresolved guilt, etc., can quickly choke out the beautiful life that God wants us to have here and now even in the midst of whatever struggles we may be having.  It is definitely something I personally need to keep a close watch on.

And, I have work to do.  I am arming myself with a whisk broom, some new flags, and some garden clippers to clean up around two markers. And of course I need to get some new flowers ordered.  I think I will order an autumn arrangements filled with brilliant and happy colors.  Keep moving forward on your journey, and you will find,

Sunshine After the Storm
Blessings
Betsy