Cottonwood

I was driving through the neighborhood when the cottonwood was in bloom. Evidence of this was visible on every lawn I passed. The green grass seemed to have turned white as if a fluffy frost had fallen in the night.

The truth is, the blades of grass far outnumbered the little seeds and their puffy wings, but those cottonwood seeds were so distinct—so different from the green grass they adorned—that they seemed to turn the whole landscape white.

We have been called to make a difference in our world, but sometimes the good that we can do seems to be so insignificant, lost unnoticed in a sea of troubles. It’s easy to become discouraged and believe that our little efforts for good and kindness have no impact and that we are wasting our time even trying. But remember those cottonwood seeds that can change the color of the fields even though they remain only a short time. Likewise, even the smallest act of love colors the lonely, dark world around it.

That’s something to think about.