Full Circle Zinnias

                      Recently my sister -in- law  gave me these zinnia seeds.
                                                 

            

I had admired her row of colourful zinnia faces when we were there  in the summer time. 

                                                                                                                     

So she picked some of the heads gone to seed to plant next year.

I thanked her, and asked if she wanted me to pay her, she laughed and said "no, these seeds likely came from some that you had given me years ago."

Isn't that neat,I think to myself...after all these years and the zinnias simply grow, bloom, rest.  Grow,bloom,rest.
A relentless life circle of dying in order to propagate and produce. 


Relentless,yes it really does feel that way. We put down seeds whether literally or figuratively. We can never be fully prepared for the prudence required in maintaining the seeds. Some years there seems to be little for the labour we've extended.
 It feels unfair at times, for other people's gardens    are flourishing, and we think we've toiled longer and harder than they have.


I sift the zinnia seeds through  my fingers, the ones she said likely came from me.
I breathe a prayer for seeds I've sown, ones I am waiting on to take root, ones I know are there, but need time and the seasons elements to condition and strengthen.

        I must be patient and always hopeful for next years garden.

                         

 Let us not grow weary in doing good,
                for in due season we shall reap,
                          if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9

             
               
    

Plant A Garden,Nurture A Soul

The other day I planted my vegetable  garden.
 I dug deep, and put down seeds.
The day offered near perfect weather. Sunny and not too windy. No racing against thunder clouds like last year. No small window of time to hurry this sacred opportunity. I had cleared my schedule for this important occasion.

No, I haven't planted everything yet...that would be presumptuous.For even though it feels like summer now, weather is unpredictable, and I've learned it is wise to wait for consistent warmth.
                                                                                                                     

I think it is appropriate that gardening and Mother's day intersect with one another.
For is their anything quite so synonymous with being a mother as gardening?
Both require much surrender to conditions and situations we can not see..
Both require faith beyond our own circumstance to believe that we can plant seeds, but we can not make them grow.

Gardens like children must be nurtured. Neglect is not an option,if we are truly passionate about the results.
Our fortitude will be tested on both fronts.
There really is so little we can control.
But when we live in each wonderful moment...
when we accept that this is a task that requires monumental grit, and resilience much greater than ourselves...
We can bask in the bittersweet journey of having, holding, loving and growing.
We can become stronger and more passionate individuals, as we release and relinquish to whatever the season holds.

                                                                                                    


As I unwound from the rigours of the day...I came across this documentary on gardening.... I'd likely watch it simply for his charming accent:) but I also found it FASCINATING to see the many kinds of gardens and know that
gardening is so much more than boundaries, culture or climate.....
I love what he says at the end of this clip...
Gardens are not about plants as much...they are about people....


The person who plants a garden feels that he has done something good for the world.C D Warner


The home gardener is part scientist,part artist,part philosopher,
part plowman. He modifies the climate around his home. J R Whiting