Dandelion

Dandelion is common as muck. Leave a bed or pot for a couple of weeks, and rest assured, this annoying plant will have seeded and grown. All our verges seem to be littered with them: the golden yellow petals followed by the white seed heads blown by the wind. When the British gardener sees it growing, he pulls it out. Several cracks in my front flags have played host to dandelions, so easy will they grow and so unfussy their taste in accommodation.

Yet in Hong Kong, gardeners are desperate for such flowers, even smuggling seeds from abroad. James Wong, writing in the Guardian, investigated this bizarre eastern love for dandeliona. Some love its flower, others are mesmerised by its seeds, while others seem impressed by its leaves’ and stalk’s medicinal qualities. It seems strange that what we consider common, is to others a luxury commodity. There is a general lesson here. We should not take for granted the pleasures we have; there are many out there who would crave a tenth of what we carelessly possess. More spiritually, if Christians in this country knew the difficulties their brethren abroad faced trying to get to church, to read their bibles, to share fellowship- they might be less blasé and casual about such things in their own lives.

So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

-Johnson Outman