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