Only a Weed

Greetings of love to you in the name of Jesus! I hope this finds you very well and having a great day. I'm very excited due to the beautiful cloudless sky and swift breeze overlooking my spot in Missouri. God was so good in all that He created!

The Weed's Philosophy

Nay, but tell me, am I not unlucky indeed,

To arise from the earth and be only a weed?

Ever since I came out of my dark little seed,

I have tried to live rightly, but still am a--weed!

To be torn by the roots and destroyed, this is my meed,

And despised by the gardener, for being--a weed.

Ah! but why was I born, when man longs to be freed

Of a thing so obnoxious and bad as a--weed?

Now, the cause of myself and my brothers I plead,

Say, can any good come of my being a--weed?

If a purpose divine is in all things decreed,

then there must be some benefit from me, a--weed!

If of evil and suffering, the world still has need

In its path of development, then I, a weed,

Must form part of that plan which in nature I read,

though I live but to die, just for being a--weed!

-Martha Martin

Just yesterday Daddy bought me some very interesting little booklets by George Washington Carver; you know, the peanut man? The booklets are packed full of amazing bits of information. Did you know weeds and other vegetation could be eaten and deliciously so?
Chicory: This beautiful leafy plant can according to Carver's booklet be "prepared the same as wild lettuce, before it begins to stem. The roots are very often peeled, dried and roasted a coffee brown. Some prefer it to real coffee; others mix it various proportions to suit their tastes." Imagine . . . Just visit this site or this for the proof.

Chicory. Visit here to discover this picture's origin and other helpful information.

Wild Lettuce: This creature, of which I have seen throughout my life, has a lot of useful purposes. Writes Carver, "These several interesting plants are all members of the lettuce family, have milky juice and when young and tender taste very much like our cultivated lettuce to which it bears some slight resemblance in appearance;" The booklet also goes on to read, "Its medicinal virtues are similar to cultivated lettuce and the dandelion. It is excellent when prepared as spinach."
Black Mustard: Our sited author writes, 'originally cultivated, but now in many sections of the United States has become weedy. It is highly prized for its seed and also as a vegetable, eaten raw, or cooked with other greens it is most highly prized."

Black Mustard. Stop by this link for picture credit.

Red or White Clover: the plant which I have loved seeing and running through now has a special use--eating! Mr. Carver states, "The flower heads of these two varieties have held first place in delicate and fancy salads for years. Serve in mixed salads or separately as fancy dictates. They lend themselves admirably to any type of mild dressing."
 Truly, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork."
May the LORD bless your day!

Frannie