A Year of Gratitude – May 3, 2024

My gratitude was at my feet early this morning. These wild violets grow in the patch of ground near the water spigot where I fill my water buckets each morning before tending to our animals.

I know that some people look upon these violets as weeds, as a nuisance. I find them to be beautiful. I don’t weed them away. I don’t see a reason to. I think that they’re beautiful.

They grow in this spot and around the chicken coop and run. Each summer a few of them sprout up in the path between my raised beds. That’s okay with me. I’m happy to trade them a small bit of space for the beauty they add to my days.

That’s the thing about life. You can look at this violet and see a pretty purple flower. Or, you can look upon it and see a pesky weed. The choice is yours because the flower is the same either way.

I’ll choose to see it as a pretty purple flower. They remind me of the violas my grandmother loved so much. They remind me of the goat we loved and cared for whose name was Violet. I see a pretty flower and a reminder that I can decide how to see things. That choice can make all the difference.

What do you see in these violets? Do you see a beautiful little flower or a weed?

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.