The House of Shine fervently asserts that inside everyone is a little shine, so you can imagine how much we love a website that believes the same thing about days of the year.

This month we have busily worked our way through the Brownielocks.com list of March holidays, each day showing appreciation for something. Holidays have been as simple as honoring your name (March 7) or lips (March 16) or as important as honoring the contributions of programs such as the Peace Corp (March 3), Salvation Army (March 10), or Girl Scouts (March 12).

Today, dandelions.

It is actually Weed Appreciation Day, but I want to talk about dandelions because they are yellow (And, yes I did verify that it was "Weed" Appreciation Day, not "Weed" Appreciation Day) .

Google dandelions if you want to read up on factoids such as: their culinary and medicinal uses; how they are used to make wine; and that they are host to a festival in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

My focus is on what makes this weed shine.

Dandelions, like most weeds are strong and tenacious. They grow thickly where they are not wanted and, often, in spite of gardner's obsessive attempts to destroy them. Weeds - dandelions included - are tough.

Here is what I really love. Dandelions have something called papplus which functions sort of like a parachute. Papplus carry dandelion seeds (achene) through the air and over long distances. It is this relationship between the papplus (the parachute) and the achene (the seed) that allows this weed to, literally, be found world wide.

While others laugh at the idea of celebrating Weed Appreciation Day I actually get it.

In fact, I like to think we have something in common with dandelions and not just because dandelions are yellow. I think we have something in common, because in a world where our spirits can feel under attack by the tragic events in Japan and the horrors of the middle east, and where a lagging economy combined with rising prices gives us plenty to worry about, we - like dandelions - are strong and tenacious.

And because, each day I commit to providing the seed and you commit to being the parachute who helps carry our message through the air and over long distances.

Go forth today and be a dandelion. Happy Weed Appreciation Day.

Shining off until tomorrow...