Garden envy is real. I’m surrounded by master gardeners and people who have time to cultivate the land and their plants. I get jealous, until I look at my garden and see what’s there too.
When I have eyes to see the beauty (even amid the weeds) of my own garden, I’m more likely to celebrate someone else’s garden. I’m able to see that we’re all in this together. The work of sowing, planting, and caring for the earth belongs to all, and we celebrate that together.
I’ve learned to savor the process of gardening. To take the time with each plant and row. To measure more carefully. To stay in one area and rid it of weeds instead of bouncing all around. The garden is teaching me to slow down and embrace the task at hand – one weed, one plant, and one seed at a time. In slowing down in the garden, I am able to give thanks for each of God’s marvelous creations.
Wherever you are, in whatever season you find yourself, turn to the garden. Open your eyes and see what you can learn from the smallest seed about to sprout.
This message is excerpted from “What the garden can teach us” by Kimberly Knowle-Zeller from the July 26, 2019, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
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