Who in the world would pick a thistle as their favorite flower? I honestly had no clue what a thistle was until a friend of mine mentioned it was her favorite flower. Good thing for google. I had seen the flowers or weeds or whatever it is you wish to call them but walked right by them my entire life. I didn't do my research because this isn't a post about thistles so I don't know what they are actually referred to as. But, there is beauty in these flowers which I discovered actually had a name - thistles. They were always there but I never noticed them among the other beautiful and more well known flowers like - roses, tulips, iris, orchids, daisies, etc. I never stopped to actually look around because I figured the most well known would be the prettiest of all. But, I discovered differently. I have discovered there is beauty in the least. The least favorite. Those that might not even be deemed worthy to be called a flower, but maybe a root or a weed. For example, dandelions. They are in the dirtiest of places. They may peak up through a crack in a back alley. You can find them in ditches. On the side of the road. They aren't flowers you would send to a loved one but yet they are full of life. Kids love them and make wishes on them but they still get overlooked every single day. They aren't among the "favorite" or "popular" flowers.
I have found thistles are similar to certain people in life. When you go through tough times... it's the thistles that you find fighting with and for you. It's the people that are often overlooked when you are on the mountain top. They are the people that believe in you but yet you don't even know their name. If you passed them by, you wouldn't even acknowledge them. These are the people that will pray for you without you even knowing. The people that would give you the shirt off their back knowing it's the only shirt they own.
When things are good in life, it seems a crowd will follow you. But when you hit a bump in the road, these people scatter. They are no where to be found. You have nothing to offer them anymore. You don't have the power or the popularity you once had so they disappear. Come to find out... they weren't like the thistles. The thistles never left. The thistles were always there, but you walked right by them and you didn't acknowledge them. They never got offended that you didn't speak to them or acknowledge their beauty. They knew they weren't like the others but they knew what they had to offer.
They had something much deeper than the more well known flowers had. They had a fight inside of them. They had a desire to know you because of who you were. The real you. These people were REAL. These people are just like me and you.
I am learning that the thistles are the ones I want to associate with. The ones that are often overlooked.
Do you have any thistles in your life? Today, don't just walk by the "thistles" that surround you. Slow down. Look around. These are the people you want in your corner.
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