Flower or Weed?

(Local View from 4'2, Lake County Press, August 21, 2026)

Is it a flower or a weed?

I am in the thick of gardening season and in the thick of a season of grief. My garden is full of cucumbers, flowers of all colors, as well as carrots, onions, potatoes, gourds and more. My garden is busy with spiders and bees doing their things. I have friends visiting to enjoy it and to help with the workload of sustaining a growing garden. 

My garden always teaches and reminds me of life lessons. Sometimes I don’t know if something is a weed but if I let it grow I can tell. Sometimes I have to let them grow large enough so I can pick it deep from the root with my arthritic hands. My dear farmer friend reminded me that I need to harvest my crop when it is ready because the strain on the plant to send food to the growing, sometimes rotting, fruit is bad for the health of the plant.

When I apply this to my life I can see the things that no longer serve me; things that end up stealing my energy and end up rotting. Schedules that are too busy and are filled with the wants of others end up leaving my soil dry and hard but spending time with the right people at the right time is like a fresh rain in the desert or drought season. Consistent watering of good and healthy water helps plants and humans grow and thrive.

Fertilizer can be smelly and gross but every seven to ten days these plants and flowers need some extra love. My squash, gourds, and pumpkin flowers then have the energy to stay open for the pollinators to come and take pollen while leaving some behind. Then “magically” a fruit is born.

Recently my schedule was too full and I had to ask some dear friends to help water the babies. After two days I was shocked to find three mini melons growing on my cute little flower-filled vines. This was a good and happy gift. Quiet time in my garden has exposed my sadness and grief over losing four loved ones and having another in hospice. My heart is sad and the weight of life and work is heavy. But just like my beautiful sunflowers I need to dig deep into my roots, look up to the sun and use what I am given.