The Beauty and the Beast are just around the corner from each other down a country road in Tennessee. Kudzu or five species in the genus Pueraria (from Wikipedia) live side by side and at constant odds with normal life and beauty. Kudzu was introduced into North America for soil erosion and for herd feeding purposes, and was featured in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia by Japanese representatives.
The U.S. introduced it to Fiji during World War II as an equipment cover and of course is a major weed there now. Growing at a rate of 150,000 acres a year with limited means of actually eradicating it, it continues to be not just invasive in the U.S. but known as "noxious". It can be burned, have the root crowns cut off, sprayed with herbicide and it can still regrow in the same patch after years of dormancy. It is known in China, Japan, North America, Canada and Brazil, just to name a few. The bean pods are edible, the vines and runners can make basketry and some cultures use it as a means of dextoxifying the affects of alcohol, but all in all, it is a pestilence of the first order.
The Rose Mountain Cabin stands in quiet relief against the riot of kudzu growth all around it. Somebody tamed the monster and kept the beauty of this little family cabin and the outdoor living areas. Built in 1850 it stands on a small plot of ground that is now littered with bicycles full of flowers twining around the wheels, fence rows of dahlias and gourds, a barn side showing a collecting of shovels and antique tools hanging on the side of the barn washed grey by weathering. It was restored in 1983 by a Mr. George Shanks and is a delightful surprise waiting to be found when rounding the corner.
On down the road, the Kudzu has taken over the hillsides and though it has quite a lovely little bloom, you can see, it is quite aggressive and has taken over what looks to be a Volkswagen Beetle model of car.
In our daily life, we hope to keep the Kudzu at bay, carve out some beauty in our life and live peacefully like cows on the hillside.
We decide, moment by moment, what we are going to think about, so, is it the Kudzu monster taking over, or grace?
I start my last week of work today and have to tell you, that I have been much relieved with the decision, not anxious or distressed. I have started packing and tossing in my home as though the realtor has already made the call and said "We have an offer!" I am making lists of how to transition myself to TN and the zillion things that have to be done in a move but for now, my focus will be to finish out my commitment and leave things in good order. Why? Because it is the right thing to do. I can't control what people think or say but I can control how I act toward them. I will do everything I can to leave a good path behind me.
Next weekend, I take my daughter and her friend to Destin, Florida, land of white sand beaches and sunshine for a last hoorah to summer.
Until then, I am sipping on the tea of grace from a delicate pretty cup. It reminds me that we can be fortified with it in small sips.
"Exuse me, thank you, I'll take some more, please"...Hebrews 4:16: Let us therefore come boldy unto the throne of grace, and find grace to help in time of need".
This tells us that we are going to need it, and, that it is available for the asking. Prepare to succeed, prepare that there may be bumps in the road or worse, but be prepared to have help and great success, also! Where your thoughts are is what you keep in the deepest part of your heart. Keep the good stuff! Out of the treasure of the heart a man speaketh. Think good, speak good; good will follow.
So starts my second day (not consecutive) of recording grace. I'll just keep writing as it unfolds.
Want to make a list with me?
