I live in a second-floor city apartment with a small back porch. Every year I fill planters and pots and create a small garden. I actually make little diagrams of what flowers and colors I want and where.
Occasionally, I wonder why I work so hard on this? Almost no one sees it. The plants last for only a few months. Given the amount of sun and the small space, I don’t grow anything I could actually eat. Only impatiens, petunias, and morning glories enjoy living in this space.
I don’t relish getting dirty, sweaty, and tired, but every summer I do it. I love to see plants grow. There is something about the beauty of green things–the leaves, the flowers, the vines and stems, the smell of dirt–that give me hope and joy.
I feel closer to God when I am in the presence of trees and leaves, flowers, dirt, and rain. I feel relaxed, connected, and refreshed.
This message is adapted from a Women of the ELCA blog written by Kate Sprutta Elliott.
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