Ode to the Creator of Gardens

As I lie awake at 4:00, then 5:00 a.m. I hear the sound through the open window of cars going by a couple of blocks away. The morning is quiet, no wind, but the smell of a new beginning wafts through the window. The smell is one of freshness, newness, and quietness. I allow my thoughts to turn to you, Lord to accept your peace, your gentleness. I allow my mind to receive the peace that you have for me. I sense my soul in worship of the almighty. I see myself in the spirit, falling on my knees, my feet no longer can hold up a body that is under the power of God. I see my body prostrate before you, in gladness, in humble adoration of one so mighty and yet so full of love. I lift my arms up above my head in complete surrender to your goodness. I allow my mind to sour in the sound of angel’s wings. I see my tongue speaking the sounds of your language to me, not English but that sound brought by the Holy Spirit. Amai, loamy, consume la ta so. Thank you, Jesus. I sense freedom and joy as I pray with my spirit ant not my mind. Alleluia. The newness of the day is peaceful and yet has a quality that spells excitement; the excitement of a new beginning; a new time, a time for yet more of you; a time to spend in quietness and strength; a time to laugh, a time to sing; a time to dance in the exuberant joy of just being alive. Thank you, Jesus.

This has been a time to spend in the garden, taking out those plants that have seen the peak of their perfection and have gone beyond that to seed. A time to pick the fresh produce that comes as manna from the God of Israel. The carrots need to be thinned and the weeds are waiting for me. The lettuce that is past its prime needs to be uprooted. The soil will be moved, cultivated and ready to lie dormant during the winter months.

Thank you for the garden, Father and for Don’s love of it. I do not see it or work in it like he does. He communes with you as he cultivates and readies the soil for planting in the early spring. He sees your goodness in the small, sometimes tiny seeds that he plants in the greenhouse. They germinate and then start to push their sprouts up to the air from the dark earth in their pots. Then they are waiting to put out their little leaves and stretch toward heaven before they are transplanted into the good, moist soil of the garden. You bring life in so many ways, Father. I see it in each little flower that comes each bud that speaks of fruitfulness. We plant and water but you bring the growth which we approvingly applaud and watch carefully. But first we have to wait. After a time of growth the buds swell into each vegetable that you intended from that small quiet beginning we then can harvest.

Harvest time is heavy with the smell of good dinners to be had with a garden medley of vegetables: squash, eggplant, bell pepper, onions, and carrots, all are to be eaten with thankfulness for your bounty, Jesus. The green beans have been picked, canned, frozen, eaten and given away! The cucumbers continue to produce for a long time. We have eaten, made pickles and are full, till we have given away so much we don’t want to see another cuke. The blue potatoes have shown us in wonder that they taste just like the white ones. The cantaloupes have a musky, fragrant smell of ripeness. The roses have bloomed their heads off and then been deadheaded (their spent blooms are cut off) – so more blooms will have the energy to come forth. We fill the house with the fragrance of the perfume of the dark red roses. We change the color and array different roses through the summer months. Toward the end of summer, bouquets of roses are hung head down to dry in the garage. Then we can enjoy the rest of the year the dried beauty of those we saw in full glory in the summer. The weeds have been attacked with gusto every couple of weeks or so.

We see the flowers blooming, one after another in the garden. First to bloom are the snow crocus, iris and tulips. After a time of perfection they wilt and fall off or are taken away by a quick cut of the snips. The roses bloom all summer. There are other flowers that come and go as the months go by. Even the blooms of soft, white on the strawberries tell you the beauty of their creator. The peonies show their grand splendor early in the summer and last for a time. The phlox, larkspur, lavender, hibiscus and daises are enjoyed and praised. Then marigolds spread out their blossoms in full array in late summer. The smaller ones have been around all summer to help keep the grasshoppers and bugs away from the garden. We see the time of the summer by the flower that is blooming. The dwarf fruit trees are laden down with fruit this year. The red of the apples on the tree catches your eye. The slender pear tree shows off its fruit. The peach trees are heavy and need to have added supports of pieces of wood under their branches to hold up the mighty amount of harvest that is in the making. Beauty that is glorious beauty that shows the hand of one whose mind is greater than anything our human minds can conceive. Creation that cries out how great is the one who made it. Alleluia.