I saw the dandelion standing there – on a cool, Fall day
when the dead leaves were lying all around and
the pictures of that dandelion from earlier in the year came to my mind.

A colorful, life-filled yellow flower – considered a weed by many,
a nuisance to be rooted up and discarded—
I could relate to that feeling.

Then, later, that dandelion was a small,
almost translucent, reproduction center –
an amazing number of seeds to be blown everywhere—
gifts of life shared freely and
I felt drawn to that thought.

The thought that this seemingly very insignificant “weed”  
had parts of itself blown away and those parts became more dandelions
all over the place — a cycle of creating new life — wow!

It spread life by the loss of parts of itself and
I thought about times in my own life
when I suffered the loss of a part of myself and
I wondered if there was some deeper meaning
to be seen in my loss.

The dandelion cannot restore those parts of itself
that are blown away – carried on the wind to many places
– and I cannot pull back or restore what I lost,
but did that loss or could that loss in some way
spread new life in a cycle I could not see at the time?

Like the dandelion, am I still rooted and living to
begin another cycle, in the spring when
life begins to flow once again throughout the earth –
to feel life rising up in me

Can I see new life as a result of my loss —
maybe my loss helped build an inner strength
or perseverance I did not feel before —
maybe my loss drew me to be kinder to others
because I could better understand the pain another
was going through —
maybe . . .

maybe the dandelion has shown me
a reason to have hope
• hope for my future because of my past –
• hope in releasing my loss and
   holding to the new life that came from my loss –
• hope from seeing life in the cycle of a dandelion . . .
       new life through loss –
       loss in the creation of Life –
—
not restoration, but creation flowing hope through Life
—
I find hope in that thought . . .