Beauty in many forms

The beauty of a rose seems so obvious to us, they are showy in color and scent. They are for the most part eye candy. Yes, the oil and water made from them can scent a room for a long time, or the dried petals last a bit longer with the scent, but it is the eye appeal that we so often speak of. Rosemary, ever-green, so long lasting, so vital for some recipes, so full of flavor. Comfrey, a bit prickly, but such a plant of healing. Mullein, fuzzy leaves, showy tall stalks full of flowers, healing in both flower and leaf, a comfort plant. A plant that can sooth an ear ache, or calm a cough.
Lavender, so fragrant and for me, so hard to grow, but worth the work for the lasting scent that relaxes and soothes the hurried mind. Finally in the group, rose geranium, tiny flowers, curly leaves that when rubbed and bruised, sweet fragrance fills the room. Different plants, different uses, yet all of them improve our lives in one way or another. People are like that too. Our children, our friends, our family members and yes even those we struggle with, all improve our lives in different ways. Our adversaries push us to be better, to learn from, our greatest teachers . We can learn from our enemies, to be tolerant or view them as lessons of how not to be. I grow tansy in my herb garden, tiny yellow flowers that look like Daisy's that someone pulled all the petals off of. They keep the bugs away, a natural insecticide of sorts, but its not to be eaten. The value is not from looks or from taste but for its ability to keep away the things we don't want in our garden. Nature is a teacher of great lessons if we stop to understand.