I decided to share some thoughts and reflections about a
precious part of my life. My interest in
gardening began sometime after moving into our house ten years ago. I don’t tend to be “by the book” when it
comes to planting a vegetable garden or landscaping with perennials. I’ve learned to garden through trial and
error, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes over the years, however this process
has brought me a tremendous amount of pleasure. Gardening is a healing and peaceful activity
that is healthy for the body and spirit.
Spring’s Sweet Promise
After being cooped up all winter, I began to anticipate
warmer days by the end of February. My
late winter hopes and dreams could be found in the dark recesses of my laundry
room where I made future gardening plans.
With seeds and planting materials gathered, my mouth watered at visions
of juicy cucumbers and sweet squash. The
winter was long and weary, yet spring’s promise came in small hopes like golden
daffodils pushing through the frosty earth.
Our lives are often like those long winter days as we face
seasons of suffering and waiting on the Lord.
Scripture gives us glimpses of God’s glorious promise to replace despair
with hope. In this season, the Lord longs to engage us in moments of rest and
peace when circumstances beyond our control scream for healing and
redemption. “The Spirit of the
Sovereign Lord is on me… to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a
spirit of despair. They will be called
oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his
splendor.” Isaiah 61: 1a, 3
PLANTING
SEEDS: Planting your own
seeds is a simple way to save money for gardening. At the beginning of March, I set up a table
in my laundry room, using a lamp with a bare halogen light bulb. When the time
was right, I planted seeds in egg crates with peat moss/light potting soil and
surrounded the bottom of the egg crates with aluminum foil. After watering the seeds, I covered my egg
crate flats with saran wrap, pinched the saran wrap tight by the foil, and
placed them near the light. This created
a greenhouse affect, and the seeds would sometimes germinate within a few
days. After the seedlings were
established, I transferred them into Styrofoam cups of potting soil and placed
them in a sunny window to nurture and water until planting season.
Sunny Days Ahead
This year, winter continued to drag on past Easter and into
May. After the frost finally melted, I
began to track the weather forecast for the perfect time to start planting my
homegrown flowers and garden vegetables.
Shortly after Memorial Day, my husband tilled the vegetable garden and
it was ready to go. I was thrilled to
plant the seedlings that were tenderly cared for by an eager gardener’s
heart.
On the first sunny days of spring, my joyful spirit was full
of praises as I began to look for signs of life in my shrubs and
perennials. It was a season for pruning
and clearing out the old brush to make room for the new buds. God does the same during seasons of change as
He removes the unnecessary garbage from our lives to make room for the
incredible new beginnings He has in store for us. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the
gardener. He cuts off every branch in me
that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that
it will be even more fruitful… I am the
vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing.” John 15:1-2,5
GOING
ORGANIC: I think the best way to produce a vegetable
garden is to go organic. What better way
than composting! All year, we save our
food scraps and bring them directly to the garden. Some of the best composting materials include
fruit and vegetable peels, eggshells, and pulp from the juicer. Rhubarb and melons especially thrive on
compost.
Summertime Joy
Summertime is my favorite time of the year! I love having the kids home during the day
and spending time with them. My boys
often play outside while I’m puttering around in the garden. I enjoy working
with my teenage daughter on outdoor projects.
On a leisurely afternoon, the kids and I might go for a short walk or
sit outside and read.
There is something healing about the summer season. I bask
in the warmth of the sun touching my face and gentle breezes kisses whispering
against my skin. I feel peaceful and
content as I water my flowers and watch my perennials develop over time. I find joy in discovering little surprises
such as last year’s petunias seeding themselves in my perennial bed for a
colorful display. Tranquil thankfulness
surrounds me like miniature butterflies sunning themselves on dainty
blooms. A Father’s love touches the sky
dome with sweetness in the air. “The
Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be
gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26
HEALING EARTH AND SUN:
Grounding is an activity that has many healing benefits as your body has
direct contact with the earth. I delight
in feeling the warm soft earth against my bare feet. For added benefit, spend some time lying
directly on the ground to absorb the energy from the earth’s magnetic field.
Benefits of grounding include reduced pain/inflammation, increased energy,
improved sleep, and decreased exposure to harmful electromagnetic fields. http://news.yourolivebranch.org/2011/05/18/why-does-walking-barefoot-on-the-earth-make-you-feel-better/
The sun also has the healing quality of increasing your
body’s production of vitamin D and natural melatonin that can aide in improving
sleep and your over-all health.
For the Birds
One of my favorite
activities in the summer is watching the birds that visit our yard. Early spring, I made sure our birdfeeders
were ready to go. By the end of May, we
had a buzz of hummingbird activity at our feeder. One bird in particular (we named Ruby after
the red patch on his throat) stationed himself near the hummingbird feeder for
about a week. Ruby supervised all the birds
returning from winter migration and let them know when they’ve had enough sugar
water. One day, my three-year-old son
found a picture of ruby throat humming bird in a Backyard Birds book and
shouted at the window, “Ruby, I found your picture!” It was very entertaining for our family to
observe Ruby’s antics. We’ve also had
visits from gorgeous Baltimore oriels as well as bright little goldfinches and
bluebirds. My children have enjoyed
learning about the birds that visit our feeders and build nests in our
yard. My boys discovered a robin’s nest
in our willow tree about a month ago.
They were very excited to share their discovery!
Sometimes, when I’m
sitting in the garden or lying in the grass, I quietly observe the birds nearby
and feel at peace. Birds remind me of
God’s powerful love for all creation and his desire to know us personally. Sparrows are small and unremarkable yet God
takes notice when a sparrow falls, and the Lord declares that we are so much
more cherished by our Father than sparrows (Matthew 10:31). Next time you
see an ordinary little bird in your yard, think of the sparrows and know that
you are loved.
FEEDING THE BIRDS:
Every year, I have made my own suet by saving fat drippings from bacon
grease and other meats. When ready to
make the suet, I would empty a jar of thawed fat into a pot to melt on the
stove. Then, I would add berries, raw
nuts, raisins, a little cornstarch, a little flour, and 2-3 cups of birdseed. Afterwards, I took the mixture and poured it
in Tupperware containers that were close to the size of my suet feeder and
stored them in the freezer. When I was
ready to use the suet, I would pop one out of its container, spread peanut
butter on the top of it, and dip it in more birdseed. I would hang the feeder outside my front
window. The birds loved it! This year, I made homemade hummingbird food
as well. I brought 4 cups of water to a
boil, added a cup of sugar, and boiled it for 2 minutes. I did not add food coloring, which can be
harmful for birds. The sugar water was a
hit! To attract more beautiful birds,
you can also set out orange halves or grape jelly in a small dish.
Lessons from the Garden
When I first started
gardening, I spent most of my time trying to come up with ways to keep the
weeds down by adding straw, newspaper, and other materials to act as a weed
fabric. By the end of the season, I
often gave up on keeping the weeds under control. When my health declined a few years ago, I
was convinced that it wasn’t realistic to work in the garden, yet I just
couldn’t give it up. Instead, I decided
to try gardening by sitting on a towel and tilling the garden with a hand
cultivator. If I would spend a few hours
a week doing this, I would keep the weeds under control and my plants
flourished.
I feel closer to God when
I am working in the garden. The other
day, I came out to the garden and had a good cry while I was working. Overwhelmed with emotion, I had a long talk
with God about what was on my heart.
Then, my three-year-old son came running out to me and cried out,
“Mommy, I need you!” He dove in my arms
to snuggle up with a hug and a kiss. My
heart melted in his sweet embrace.
Sometimes when life becomes unbearable, I do the same with my heavenly
Father and cry out to Him, “Daddy, I need you.”
Nothing pleases Him more as He opens his arms to the longing embrace of
one of his children.
God designed nature as a
magnificent healer and teacher. My heart
rejoices when I discover a bird I’ve longed to see in my backyard. I am elated when a perennial finally
flourishes or a tree bears fruit after years of care. At these times, I am reminded that God always
keeps his promises and will give me the breakthrough I am looking for in His
perfect timing. Our Creator made this
beautiful world to demonstrate His glory.
God is so good. “But ask
the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will
tell you; or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of
the Lord has done this? In his hand is
the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10
HEALTHY LIVING:
Growing food in a garden is a fantastic start for a healthy
lifestyle. There are abundant varieties
of vegetables we can add to our diet through gardening. Homegrown fruits and veggies are healthier
for us and taste better too! Garden
produce can be used to can, freeze, steam, juice, make salads, or eat directly
from the vine! You can visit the
farmer’s market or join a food share for a larger variety of healthy garden
produce. Community gardens are becoming
increasingly popular and are an excellent option for those who do not have the
yard space for a garden.
Changing Seasons
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
A part of me dreads the end of the summer, anticipating the
cooler weather and my kids returning to school.
Changing seasons are a part of life.
Summertime is a season of grace and healing, and fall leads us to a time
of harvest and gratitude. The fall
season reminds me of my wedding over a decade ago with the colorful hues of
love. Seasons of our life are
delightful, peaceful, gentle, exciting, dramatic, joyful, sorrowful, agonizing,
terrifying, and heartbreaking. Though
life is ever changing, we can trust that God always remains the same. We can always depend on Him, even when the
season calls for pain and suffering. “For I am convinced that neither death
nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any
powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” Romans 8:38
HARVESTTIME: There is nothing more rewarding than enjoying the
“fruits of your labor” as you harvest the produce in your garden. One of my favorite garden vegetables is
zucchini. Zucchini is easy to grow and
delicious. It can be added to many
dishes as well as breads and desserts. My favorite way to cook the squash is by
cutting it into thin slices and baking it at a high heat with olive oil and a
generous sprinkle of sea salt. I usually
bake the slices on speed bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until they are
blackened around the edges. The kids and
I call them zucchini chips. The smaller
zucchinis make tastier chips. They melt
in your mouth!
“I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now
he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be
glad together.” John 4:35-36
