Weeding the Garden

I finally got around to weeding my big garden yesterday. Just to give you an idea of how bad it was, I filled up the wheelbarrow five times with weeds and grasses that had taken over most of the garden.

Somehow it was always too hot or too wet, or I was too busy to get out there and weed.  It didn't seem like it was that long since I had weeded, but the size of the weeds told me otherwise.

As I was bringing order to the garden I thought about how often I can forget to take time for reflection and prayer.  Too often I convince myself I just don't have the time, or that there is something more important to do first.  And before long I can't seem to find my balance - that's when I finally realize what I've been missing.

Taking time for quiet reflection/prayer on a regular basis is essential - it's kind of like keeping up with the weeds in the garden. 

The challenge of course, is remembering how important this is, and scheduling time for it.

Yellow Rose Bush

 

 

Yellow Rose Bush

 

I have several rose bushes in my garden, and sometimes I wonder if they're worth all the effort - and then the blossoms appear.  Their delicate petals and sweet scent are more than enough payment for all the effort.

Faith in the unseen can be hard to sustain sometimes, but the rewards can be heavenly!

Sparkling Waters

There haven't been many sunny days here in Minnesota the past several weeks, so when a sunny afternoon finally arrived I went for a walk.  

It was a beautiful morning, with a slight breeze, and as I passed a pond I stopped to admire the sunlight sparkling on the surface of the water. 

I began to realize that it was the breeze, moving the water into small waves, that enabled the water to reflect the sunlight to me. Looking at the sparkling water, I began to see a life lesson emerge. 

The difficulties that arrive in our life are like the breeze that blows across the water, disturbing our equilibrium.  These same "breezes," while they may be painful, also present moments which reflect the Divine in ways we have never before experienced. 

It makes no difference whether or not we recognize these "sparkling moments" at the time or not, just as it made no difference whether or not I was there to witness the sun on the waves that morning.  Love's Presence continues to accompany us all through our life.

Deer by the Side of Road

                    Deer by the Side of Road

I took this picture one morning as I was walking down our road.  I had taken along my camera as usual, in case I came along something I wanted to photograph.  As I came over a small hill, I first noticed the way the light played on the tire tracks in the gravel road. Seeing the deer I stopped, and had just enough time to take the photo before the deer retreated into the brush.

This photo is a reminder of the importance of slowing down and noticing the world around us. It's only when we realize that life is more than a straight road to our next goal that we begin to see the gifts at the periphery. 

The question to ask ourselves each day is, "What gift is waiting to be discovered today?"

Storms & Rainbows

                             Rainbow

With all the rain, flooding and tornadoes this Spring, the rainbow carries a new significance to many.  This sign in the sky is not meant to downplay the devastation that many are facing; it's not a "don't worry, be happy" message.

The rainbow reminds us that God continues to accompany us, sharing our suffering and loss.  God's faithfulness is painted across the sky, proclaiming that even now, in these most difficult times, the Love that created us continues to surround us - comforting us in our loss, and strengthening us as we go forward. 

                            Rainbow*
                                

                                Passing through
                                 water droplets,
                                 sunlight scatters
                                 into colors;
                                 a streak
                                 of vibrant hues
                                 crossing
                                 once-threatening skies.

                                A promise of faithfulness
 
                *from Fields of Grace, Everyday Encounters with the Holy, by Cathy Scherer Stubbs

Spring Field*

                            Spring Field

                                   
Spring planting season was an important part of the year on the farm where I grew up.  It was always exciting to see the transformation of a field that had been bare ground suddenly give rise to orderly rows of crops. 

It wasn't unusual to see a clump of trees growing in the middle of a field, and I remember that when I asked my father about the trees he told me the story of a particular clump of trees.  It turned out that when the field had been originally cleared there had been a lot of rocks which had to be picked up and set aside before the field could be planted.  The rocks had been piled in one central site, and over the years the trees had grown up around them since the soil hadn't been disturbed.  The trees also served the purpose of marking the area where the rocks had been piled so the farmer knew to avoid that spot.

                        Spring Field*
                
                                 Orderly lines
                                   fashion a pattern
                                   in newly-turned earth.

                                Seedlings in
                                  precise formation
                                  make way for the
                                  wisdom figure
                                  in their midst;
                                  acknowledging the
                                  presence of One
                                  greater than they.

                    *from Fields of Grace, Everyday Encounters with the Holy by Cathy Scherer Stubbs

Clothesline*

 

It seems that Spring will never arrive - we've had snow for the first few days in May - something very unusual even for Minnesota!

 

I managed to hang some laundry outside on one of the (very few) warm days in April. While I appreciate the convenience of the clothes dryer; at the end of the day there is nothing like crawling between sheets that were dried in the wind and sun.

 

 

Clothesline*

 

 

                  Rusted poles with

                         outstretched arms

                         balance gracefully,

                         frozen in time.

 

                        Drooping lines

                         abandoned in favor

                         of tumbled warmth

                         wait patiently
                         to be rediscovered.

 

                       Memories of heavy

                         burdens made light

                         sweetened with the

                         scent of sun and wind

                         hang in the air.
       *from Fields of Grace, Everyday Encounters with the Holy

Something to Ponder: 

The gift of God's love is always available - making heavy burdens light and giving us rest at the end of the day.