We all want to be hopeful. We try to be optimistic. But often it just isn't our nature. I was reminded of this one beautiful, spring afternoon when I worked at a nursery and retail garden center. A customer spread her carefully-chosen selection of plants on the counter in order to pay for her purchase, and confidently stated, "I know I'll kill every single one of these." When I asked her why she would make such a statement, she replied, "Because I've killed every plant I've ever tried to grow. I even killed Kudzu once."
Occasionally there are those rare years when I can get an early start in my garden, and I can stay on top of things all season. But those years are few and far between, and this is not one of them. I tell myself that it's just as well, because if I had done all that work early on, then had experienced the destruction on the spring storms we've had... well, my feelings really would have been hurt. I don't know that I've ever been more behind on my yard work than I am this year.
We used to have a beautiful water garden, my husband and I. But recently we converted it into a planting bed. I don't know what kind of bed to call it, because it has yet to be planted. Eventually it may become a perennial bed, but as of this moment we're still in the process of filling in the gaping hole that used to be a one-thousand-plus-gallon pond.
Devotional writings and plant photography for gardeners and plant lovers
During my times with dirty hands, I've learned many of my life's most memorable lessons. Weeding, dead-heading, pruning, mulching, planting; these are the times when I am most likely to hear that still, small voice revealing a simple, yet profound truth, always in an analogy of what I'm doing with the plants or the soil. Those truths have changed the way in which I live my life, the manner in which I relate to my family, the way I view the lives of others, and especially my relationship with God.
I hope to share some of my favorite stories, revelations, blessings, memories, and photos of my plants through this blog.
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends its roots out by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; it's leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8
