Dandy-lions!

It's dandelion season here in the States, and people are going crazy trying to get rid of this simple, little yellow flower they think litters their lawns, making them unsightly. Pesticides are called into action, folks are out with their trowels trying to dig them up by the roots, and lawn care companies are making a killing.

And it seems like the only ones who find delight in the simple dandelion are the smallest children, who can sit for hours in the grass admiring and playing with these gifts from God.

In other parts of the world, the dandelion is used to make herbal remedies, teas, salads and mild wines that look and taste like summer. Others make muffins using parts of the flower. Some people believe that the dandelion root can be a blood purifier, relieve gout and rheumatism, and be an aid to problems with the liver, stomach, and gall bladder. Not bad for a little flower that so many consider to be a weed.

And who doesn't remember picking the dandelions and blowing their dried, soft petals into the air and watching them dance away on the breath of the wind. Maybe Jesus used to sit in the fields, joining the kids in their joy with the dandelions, reminding them, as he did Nicodemus, that "the spirit blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes."

So, chill out and have a glass of dandelion wine and enjoy this gift from God!

(c) 2005 Thom M. Shuman