This is a portion of my garden. I took this snapshot yesterday at around noon.
My garden is U-shaped: it comes in four parts, the left front, the right front, and going round the left and right sides of our house. Shown here is the left front portion, as viewed from the steps leading to the front door.
The sun was out yesterday after almost a week of rain, and we enjoyed being out in the sunshine for a change.
I'm not complaining at all. In our country, we only have two kinds of weather: rainy or sunny, and on most days, somewhere in between.
In Canada, where my blogger friend Saija lives, everything right now is under a thick blanket of snow. I copied this picture from her entry dated February 3, 2009.
Can't help but be filled with awe, just looking at contrast between the two pictures. We have a God who can keep us and see us through all the seasons.
And I don't have to go through a literal winter to know what winter is like.
I've been through the autumn seasons, where everything precious is being stripped away, and through cold and dreary winters, where pain was my constant companion and adversity was embraced as a friend.
Part of my maturing process has been to look at my life in terms of seasons.
Doing this really makes a lot of sense to me, for I am a gardener at heart.
Tending my little garden is one of the things that draws out a lot of creativity hiding within. There is something that shouts for joy in my heart on a sunny day when I decide to put on my straw hat, take out my garden tools, and get ready to spend a day just working on my garden.
But even this waits for the right time and season. There are weeks, even months, when my garden cries out for attention.
Then, there are days when I have no other agenda on my list, just me and my garden.
After days of re-planting, re-potting, pruning, re-arranging, weeding... I go through a period of waiting. Waiting for my plants to respond to their gardener's touch.
Then comes the day that I've been waiting for: the season of enjoying the results of my efforts. The buds are forming, the new leaves are out; it seems like the whole garden is singing, bursting with joy.
Yesterday, when I took that picture, I just had another sense of good things happening.
Lo, the winter is past... the rain is over and gone... the time of singing has come.
6 comments:
"We have a God who can keep us and see us through all seasons."
Amen, Lidj! The picture of your garden makes me want to disappear there. The pictures are beautiful. I love that here in Virginia, we get all four seasons distinctly. It has taught me a lot about how whether in time of harvest or loss, it will all soon change anyway. Thank you for your inspiring post AND for your encouraging comments over at my place.
I love the lush green. Several years ago as I was visiting Trinidad again, the first thing that struck a deep chord was the 'green' of the myriads of trees and bushes.
This is one area of weakness for me--gardening--I'm a plant killer--I cringe when people give me 'flowers' as gifts--I know they will be dead in a couple of hours and I really think they look better on the ground,not in a vase--I'm weird that way..:-)
Anyway, it is good to put the present in perspective--a season--thanks for making me think again.
(Still slowly going thru your posts--resonating--)
Your garden looks very well tended.Mine is not so neat. Just takes so much time.
What you say about seasons is right.
Tending the garden is hard work that pays big dividends in life. Stronger muscles, a bounty at harvest, beauty for the eyes to behold, fragrance for the nose to enjoy. The job can be done alone or with help. Either way, it's a good stress reliever and is a reminder of God's care and purpose for His creation. There are so many great parables to recall while working and waiting patiently for plants to mature. Your garden is wonderful.
Winter seasons. Who of us haven't walked through a few...or several as is the case with me?! Your words and your pictures beautifully illustrate the splendor of both. Thank you for the reminder and for telling me a bit more about your story in your comment at my blog.
I can only imagine how this "winter" has been a painful stripping of many things in your life. God bless you as he and you tenderly garden the soil of your soul.
peace~elaine
The seasons make us appreciate the colorful bloom of garden flowers... I used to garden a lot until the local deer ran me out of my gardens... :-) They ate almost everything and nothing deterred them.
I miss the colors but focus on indoor plants now... Beautiful garden.
Elizabeth
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