Welcome to the Prairie

“Wildflower, noun: the flower of a wild or uncultivated plant or plant bearing it. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)”
“Prairie, noun: 2a: a large area of level or rolling land in the Mississippi River valley that in its natural uncultivated state usually has deep fertile soil, a cover of tall coarse grasses, and few trees. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)”

Hello Prairie Wildflower, you are so much more than wild, your blooms are hard to replicate, they are more than stunning, they stand the test of time. Your blooms have inspired travelers to hope, poets to dream, birds to sing, and hearts to know they are home.
 Hello Prairie Wildflower, your roots are deep, you stand tall above the grassland around you. Your roots are more than twice your height, they reach deep into the rich soil.

Hello Prairie Wildflower, when the sun gets too hot, you don’t wilt, you don’t even bow your head, you stand strong. When the winds come, and they will, they will tear across the flat land around you ripping apart trees and fences, but you will just dance. You will feel the bight of it’s claws but it won’t break you. You will bend and dance in the wind, knowing with confidence that your roots will keep you in place.

 Hello Prairie Wildflower, some days that wind and heat are more than you think you can take, fire breaks out across the plain and you can’t escape it. Things are the darkest they have ever been, your beautiful petals are gone, your leaves and stem, once tall and noble are erased in one act of nature. But just as the fire seems to be done with its raging, it rains. Soft at first, like your tears, then the sky unleashes all it’s anger for the damage done by the fire. And you, what of you, burned down to nothing, now drenched in ashes and mud. You feel numb now, no more warm sun, or cool nights. But you have more strength deep within you than fire could ever burn. You roots go down far below the reach of flames, wind, and rain. You will reach up and draw down nutrients from the ashes around you. You will reach deep down into the Earth and draw up clean water to revive you. Why? Because you are a Prairie Wildflower, it’s what you do.

You Prairie Wildflower will bloom in adversity. When the grass has not yet recovered, and the black rich soil stands bare around you, you will shine out tall and bright, color in the muted plain. Hello Momma, Hello Lady, you are a Prairie Wildflower.
 
Growing up in the Midwest is a unique gift. I can look out and see miles and miles of land reaching out to the edges where the land meets the sky. I spent every Summer of my childhood walking through Prairie restorations and if I learned one thing it is that Prairies are resilient. A prairie can withstand anything and come back stronger, in fact it needs to undergo fire and be burned down to grow back stronger and better! We burn our prairies on purpose to make sure they are more beautiful! How often do we think about that, being tested, pushed to our limit can make us, even if it is just some small part of us, stronger. Being burned can make us more beautiful?! Should I seek difficulties? No, of course not, but maybe I shouldn’t fear them as much as I do. Maybe I won’t be shattered by it. What if I can take the heat, even when I don’t think I can? What if I didn’t give up?

 Perhaps when we are faced with moments that bring us to the brink of burning us down to nothing we have to remember that our roots are much, much deeper than the flames. Motherhood, womanhood, can feel like one wildfire after another. Our bodies are pushed and tested to their limits, our minds are changed, swung on a pendulum of chaotic hormone changes, fears, joys, and worries that most people couldn’t take. We are changed. Our petals don’t look the same. Some petals have fallen, some are thicker, some are wrinkled, some torn. Our leaves might not reach up as proudly, we might feel like we want to shrink and hide. We might not see our beauty anymore, but we are one of the few flowers that can stand up tall and regrow after the storm. No one, and I mean no one can do what we do. Everyone’s wildfires looks a little different. Mine came in the form of postpartum depression that never seemed to go away until I realized I was just living a new life, living with depression, anxiety, an autoimmune disorder that attacks my thyroid, and very early onset perimenopause. Your storms might be different: fertility struggles, miscarriage, depression, bi-polar disorder, anxiety, perfectionism, panic, eating disorders, the list goes on. But if I have learned one thing from walking through that prairie, its that it is resilient, and so am I. So are you. I am a Prairie Wildflower and so are you. I might not always feel, or goodness, I might not even believe that I am a flower most days. But deep down in my roots I know that I am. I know that I am rooted in faith, community, inner strength, and pure grace holding me together. That grace is strong enough. Welcome to the Prairie Momma. Let’s let our roots draw up grace and strengthen our hearts to make the world more beautiful, one bloom at a time, one day at a time.