weeds

They get into every yard, invading a perfectly beautiful lawn atwill. They’re resilient, appearing to survive droughts much better than most grass. You can spend hours upon hours trying to get rid of them; it’s nearly a fulltime job. And HOAs don’t like them.

I know this because we’ve received letters (yes, plural) telling us that we’re in violation of an “article” within the bylaws, because of weeds in our yard. The last letter I opened from the HOA threatened us with a “board hearing and fines”. I remember it very well because we received it just after returning home from visiting my mother, who has been battling cancer for 2 years now and the cancer is still just as arrogant and unrelenting as ever – much like the weeds in my yard.

After temporarily losing my put-togetherness over a letter addressing the most trivial mess I’ve ever read (especially while still reeling over the sight of my frail mother), I consulted a few of my level-headed friends to get some unbiased perspective. They all said the same thing: “You have more important things to worry about than a few weeds, or letters about weeds.” After seeing the letter, one friend in particular asked me if my weeds were 3-feet tall — HAHA! I assured her that they aren’t, and they never have been. To which she replied, “Then that letter is CRAZY.”

And I agree.

The “weeds” in my life are much bigger and scarier than the weeds in my lawn, or any threats an HOA could throw at me.

But when did the world become so incredibly petty? When did our biggest concern (and point of harassment) become weeds in our lawns?

I once heard a pastor say that our souls expand and shrink to size of our concerns.

Read that again, and let it simmer for a minute.

If we are constantly fixated on “small” things, our souls shrink and become small. If our souls’ burdens are big, they expand to the size of those concerns – we grow. So if we are more concerned with things that affect more than just ourselves and our own lives, our souls have grown. (Keeping in mind that our souls can grow and yet shrink again, if we get all wrapped up in ourselves and don’t have any regard for others or things that are happening outside of our circles.)

My mama is hurting, so I am hurting. It’s hard for me to see past what she is going through, long enough to focus on anything smaller than cancer. I wish and pray for many things, but mostly for her healing. She has so much life left to live, and I will do everything I can to help her live it. That’s about as much as my soul can carry right now.

What I won’t do, is worry about some dang weeds.

If any of you are looking for a place to expand your soul and give, consider St. Jude. They are my absolute favorite charity. Did you know that families who receive care from St. Jude don’t pay for a single thing while they are there?

I have my Amazon account set up to give a small portion of each purchase to St. Jude’s, via https://smile.amazon.com. It’s free and easy to do. If you haven’t already, give it a try! 😊

You can also donate to the #ChipInChallenge for St Jude, which is currently taking place via https://magnolia.com/chipinchallenge.

Of course, soul-stretching isn’t just about giving from your wallet. You can also give of your time, your skills, your blood, your sweat, etc., to help others in any way that you are able.

For goodness’ sake, whatever you do – stay out of the weeds. 😉

Blessings,
Emily

Image by Bruno /Germany