Be the gardener of my soul

     

    "My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people; those who do the work and those who take the credit.    

     He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition." 

— Indira Gandhi (1917-1984)  

     Much activity has been happening around my home of late, producing interesting changes surrounding the exterior of my house — front and back yards. 

     Though I have helped make decisions in the re-designing of the landscape, I confess I refused to sign up to take part in the actual work. I don't qualify to be in the second group either, as I cannot take the credit for the beauty that is daily unfolding before me. 

     Although I have always appreciated beautiful, flourishing gardens, whether they be vegetable or flower, I never actually enjoyed toiling the soil with my hands. 

     

     As a child growing up on our small farm, I recall each springtime, helping plant vegetable seeds in our cozy garden plot.
     

     I found it fascinating as I anxiously waited for the seeds to germinate and the plant to make its way through the soil. 

     
     I looked forward to the fresh taste of those new, tiny carrots and radishes or, to watch those green pods expand with the yummy, green peas inside! 

     Yet, my love of gardening never sprouted over the years. And so, Nels became my efficient gardener. He said he inherited his mother's love for the soil. 

     

     How pleased Nels would be to see our family continuing this "love of his." 

     I've often  heard that gardens can become a sanctuary for some folk. They seem to find a quiet peace within, relating to the soil as it passes through their fingers.

     Perhaps for some, it is a place to heal, to slow down, to fully enjoy and just — remember. 

          

     This year our gardening venture began with the removal of several cedar shrubs of varying sizes surrounding my home. It was a decision long overdue, and a huge, but efficient job James made of it! 

     Next, Mark and Debi arrived with truckloads of new soil. The needy portions of my lawn even got re-seeded and will soon be sprouting a fresh, greener look. 

     They say every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. The portraits of James and Karen are vividly portrayed throughout my garden. They certainly have autographed their work with excellence! 

     

     

     Then, I remembered, they are "old pros," having lovingly tended their own prodigious yard and gardens for many years, before having recently sold their home. 

     I am presently, so blessed to have them living with me. A reminder, that God always provides for our needs, often before we realize we had one. 

     

     

     

     In my mind's eye, I keep seeing Karen with a plant in one hand and a bucket of dirt in the other, as she and James stand in the earth, consulting over which section might need just a bit more colour or greater portion of love and attention. 

     Many of the newly-planted perennials with interesting, but strange-sounding names, (at least to me) will soon be displaying their beauty for many years to come. 

     

     Such varieties as — Japanese Blood Grass, assorted Hostas, Midnight Wine Weigela, Smoke Bush and Coral Bells. 

          









     
     
    

     

     Just outside my bedroom window, I can enjoy the sight of a Strawberry Sundae Hydrangea, a Climbing Hydrangea, a Yellow Rose bush, and the beauty and aroma of my Lavender. 

     Watching the early arrival of spring, and the transformations from gray to green as the world awakens, reminds me once again that God is in the business of keeping things alive. 

     Now, we must do our part, treating these new beauties kindly, with proper love and care. 

          Each planting season I'm reminded of the delightful poem, Seeds of Love — the very inspiration for the title of my autobiography.  (You can find it on page 34 in the book). 

     

     It continually reminds me to pause and consider which kind of seeds I am sowing daily. 

     

     Are they seeds filled with good thoughts, good deeds, and good purposes? 

     If so, then my life will be fruitful. Maybe without realizing it, the rich colours of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control are evident. 
     Yet, I know I will not experience these apart from a living union with Jesus.  

     The rose needs no tongue to tell its fragrance; the flower to speak its beauty. I am..." to spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him."  

— 2 Corinthians 2: 14, 15    

     Sow today what you want to reap tomorrow.  

— beulah

P.S. 
     Here is a rather fitting prayer my son Dave just shared with me. 
     He first found it years past, in a book of prayers while attending a week-long family camp at Green Bay in Kelowna.

Be the Gardener of my Soul 

Spirit of the living God, be the Gardener of my soul.

For so long I have been waiting, silent and still —

experiencing a winter of the soul.
But now, in the strong name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask:

Clear away the dead growth of the past,

Break up the hard clods of custom and routine

Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge.

Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,

Cultivate and water and tend my heart,

until new life buds and opens and flowers. Amen.

— Unknown

 

God bless the Queen

     

     Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated her 90th birthday on April 21, with her entire family around her. 

     This past weekend, May 12 to 15, a three-day festival celebration was held at the HomePark private grounds at Windsor Castle. 

     

     It played host to the Royal Windsor Equine show with daytime and evening performances featuring 900 horses and over 1,500 participants. The beautiful evening display of the castle fully lit up in lights is sure to be a party fit for a queen. 

   As an owner and breeder of thoroughbreds, Her Majesty's love of horses will be celebrated, as well as her dedication to the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and International Affairs. 

     Celebrities such as The Tenors, Andrea Bocelli, Damian Lewis and others were to stage a television show celebrating the monarch's life. Canada's RCMP will present their famous Musical Ride. 

     This is the only time the public is allowed on the grounds. 

     The Queen obviously knows how to throw a party. 

     

     During her reign, more than 1.5 million people have attended garden parties at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburg. 

     During these celebrations, many have been fortunate to receive a Royal invitation. I don't anticipate ever being one of them, as much as I would love the experience as well as the honour. 

     Instead, I shall be perfectly content to accept, (having already done so) the Royal Invitation from the King of kings and Lord of lords to that great, future celebration in the skies! 

     My hopes of greeting Her Highness while touring her country in 1995, of course, didn't happen. 

     

     Arriving at the ornate gates of Buckingham Palace, I found them tightly locked. 

     Though the structure with its elaborate surroundings were impressive, I was reminded of the Holy City in my future, of which I will be a part. On no day will its gates, made of pearl, ever be shut, for there will be no night there. (Revelation 21:25). 

     Sometime later, while visiting Windsor Castle where the Queen often spends her vacation — I again, saw locked gates. 

     Our tour bus driver suggested stopping for a coffee break at a McDonald's restaurant just down the hill. He suggested we might just find Her Highness enjoying her morning coffee there. No such luck!  

     

     I have had more than a passing interest in the Royal Family since my early childhood. 

     

     The Queen, being near the age of my sister, Merle and Princess Margaret, my age, we eagerly followed the events as they happened in their lives during our growing up years. 

     Therefore, I learned some interesting facts. 

     Here are a few: 

1. Princess Elizabeth, as she was then, learned to "jitterbug" during the War, and in the Sixties, she and Princess Margaret were taught to do the then popular dance, "the twist." I wonder how many of my readers know about that dance. 

2. Prince Philip was her first love. 

3. Married in 1947, while everyone was still recovering from the war, friends kindly contributed to the making of her wedding cake. 

4. Elizabeth had to collect wartime, clothing coupons for her dress material, like any other bride at that time. 

5. Philip gave up the smoking habit on the eve of their marriage. Sounds like true love to me! 

6. Famed for her frugality, I've heard the Queen uses Tupperware to store her breakfast cereal. 

7. I appreciate her colourful wardrobe, accessorizing her outfits with her hats. It's been said, she purposely adopted this style so that she can be easily picked out in a crowd. She regularly recycles her outfits, often many times. 

8. The Queen still wears a mid-heel, slip-on shoe that she first starting wearing five decades ago. They are handmade, costing more than $1,300 a pair, but each pair lasts for years. She has them re-heeled regularly. 

9. Her Majesty loves the bagpipes, and a piper plays outside her window every morning at Buckingham Palace. 

10. She is a big fan of Downton Abbey, and enjoys spotting the show's historical inaccuracies. 

11. No one can sue the Queen. 

12. She is not obliged to give evidence as a witness in court. 

13. She does not need a passport to travel.  

     I admire the Queen for her strong, moral character, remaining steadfast, living through the difficult seasons of life we all face in our families. 

     A devout church-goer, the Queen is serious in her role as Defender of the Faith, having promised in her Coronation oath to "maintain the laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel."     

     Enjoy the following true story: 

     "Some men were hunting near Balmoral, the Queen's country estate. One of them twisted his ankle so badly he couldn't walk, so he told his friends to continue and he would wait by the side of the road. 

     As he sat there, a car came along, slowed and stopped. The woman driving, rolled down her window and asked if he was OK. He explained, saying he was waiting for his friends to return. "Get in," she said. "I'll take you back to where you are staying." 

     He limped to the car, opened the door, only to realize it was Queen Elizabeth!    

     

The next time you feel stranded along life's road, look for "your" helper.   

— beulah

Celebrating my spiritual birthday

     

     "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don't lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. 

— Proverbs 3:5-6     

     This past week, I celebrated what I like to refer to as, "my spiritual birthday." 

     Many years ago, I made a decision that has proven to be the most important one I could ever make in my life. 

     I was fortunate to have grown up in a community where I saw love and faith lived out in many practical ways. 

     There is an old African saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." I believe my childhood was a classic example of this. 

     

     Living in a small, rural community, lives were woven together into connections that provided warmth and security to our family life. 

     When needs arose, a neighbour was always there to help. Shared experiences seemed to bond families to each other. How can I forget the long, wintry evenings when neighbours would drop in for a visit! 

     As a child, I would often fall asleep on the floor, my head on a pillow, listening to their shared stories of hardships, adventures and humour. The indescribable feelings of contentment and belonging no doubt helped in the development of my outlook on life and acceptance of others. 

     Sharing in the different community events gave us the feeling of an enlarged family. 

     

     I recall the Sunday School picnics each summer; our tenting adventure with neighbours at Parlee Beach; and the Sunday evening hymn-sings that were often held in our home. 

     The hymns, were filled with inspiring and comforting Biblical truths, that today, many still remain deep in my memory. 

     As a young child, I remember being awed at hearing some of the older men of the community, raising their mighty prayers of faith to God, as they knelt in holy reverence. 

     On one occasion, a visiting preacher came to our little country church with his powerful, picturesque sermon on Heaven or Hell. 

     Being too young to comprehend what it all meant, I thought God was angry with me, like a parent can be at times. I knew that I did not want God to send me to that awful place called Hell. 

     

     So, each night I would fervently pray the comforting, child's prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray, dear Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray dear Lord, my soul to take." 

     Though I was very young at the time, I believe my heart was stirred with the reality of my need of a loving God in my life. 

     Blaise Pascal, a 16th Century scientist and theologian, said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known by Jesus."  

     As a child, I had a growing awareness that there is a God — somewhere. 

     Despite the vivid sermons I had heard about Hell, as I grew, the fear and awe of such thoughts faded, and I became increasingly drawn to God's amazing love for me. 

     So it was, that on May 2, 1946, at age 16, I began a personal relationship with my loving Creator and Heavenly Father. 

     Being taught that Jesus is the only way to God, I asked Him for forgiveness and for His Spirit to come into my heart. (John: 14: 6 ). 

     His Spirit gave birth to my spirit. In a sense, I was reborn — spiritually. (John 3:6-7). 

     This is why I call each May 2, my spiritual birthday. God's Spirit really did begin to change my life. 

     Claiming Proverbs 3: 5-6, as my life's verse, I began to trust in my Abba Father's loving care and direction for my life. 

     

     I could relate many stories of His guidance throughout my life's journey.  

     Along the way, there were always many hard life lessons to be learned. 

     I am still learning to live each day in total dependence on my Father who knows my every need, even before I ask. 

     He continues to give my life purpose and meaning as I watch His agenda for me, unfold daily. 

     
     Believing God has a plan for each of us — the following statement by Charles Stelzle echoes my sentiments.   

     "God has a purpose for my life. No other person can take my place. It isn't a big place, to be sure, but for years I have been moulded in a peculiar way to fill a peculiar niche in the world's work."    

     So, I say — "Who am I, Lord God...that You have brought me this far?... There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but You..."  

— 1 Chronicles 17: 16, 20

— beulah