Silver Dollar Grace

I grew up a very wealthy
 young lady on the farm.

That is-

 if my fortune was in how many
 silver dollars I had.
As in Lunaria- the Honesty plant.
Brought over by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower.
It grew all along the ditch bank.
Think my mom had the saying-
"wherever you don't want that money plant- 
there it will be."

 It has survived all these years in America-
 because it has a mind of its own
 and does what it wants.
 Some people label it "invasive."

You can learn how to care for it here-
money-plant growing

It sort of sneaks up on you- 
arrives early Spring- right after the daffodils.
Tall purple flowers on a stocky base.
It is a biennial-
 which means it grows as a plant one year 
and then comes back again to bloom. 
And produce a million seed pods per plant.

You can see the bright green
 seed pod formed here.

These were "harvested" mid August.
They are kind of icky dirty looking on the outside.
Fragile and papery thin.
You simply rub the two outside pieces
 between your fingers
 and the outside "skin" falls away.
(Kids LOVE doing this.)

The "seeds" stick to one side
 of the outside cover.
They are now "flight ready."
to be carried all over the yard-
 to settle and nestle and 
grow new plants for next year. 

Sometimes life is messy as we are made new.

As I was intent on turning the ugly-beautiful,
I was struck by the illustration this plant gives for
our understanding of Baptism.
The dark and dirty sinful nature
of our birth.
The "old Adam" fallen away.

"And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—
not the removal of dirt from the body
 but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.
 It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 3:21

The snow white rebirth-
 that comes with the regeneration
of Word and water.

Sinner and saint.
Always sinner-
 but called to live out the new life 
walk in our sanctification.
By the power of the Holy Spirit.
With extravagant Grace.

Not perfected in this life.
But the glorious reminder
 of what always lies underneath
 this failed human body that we wear.

A soul reborn.

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us,
through the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit."
Titus 3:5

All grace and mercy.
Time to collect some of these Lunaria
 seeds to give to friends-
that they may throw them to the wind.
To Plant a bit of garden grace.