………in the garden
6:30 in the morning I can find June sitting on the wall surrounding her flower garden. The same type of action can be found around the country and especially in places like Shipshewana, Indiana. Here in this Amish community women start there day in the garden going about the task of weeding and mediation. What is it about a garden? Could it be that time began in a garden?
God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees, and
in the flowers and clouds and stars
—Martin Luther
June did not grow up in an agriculture or country setting where gardens were the norm. It was in an urban setting covered by asphalt and concrete. It is out of this background you wonder about her statement, “I have to have my flowers.” I think it is on her DNA. I hasten to add the weeding, planting and digging is not on her DNA. This is where she needs a helpmate from a rural setting where gardens are plentiful.
Time the way God created it is a servant and not a master. It is not the ticking, got-to-get-it-done kind of time. Nor is it the crammed Daytimer kind of time or the sorry-I’m late-I-got stuck-on-the-freeway form of time. Accordingly, June “time” is the kind of time she goes to the garden to find.
We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees, flowers, grass
–grows in silence….We need silence to be able to touch souls.
–Mother Teresa
My background has planted curiosity in my bloodstream and I am constantly thinking strategically as to what does this mean or what are the implications. June’s morning trip to her garden sparks this type of inquiry and discussion. What do we learn from our experience in the garden? Begin early—-life is fragile–life is daily– water it, weed it, prune it—growth takes time—pull the weeds—do not let ambition turn joy into drudgery—you reap what you sow—to everything there is a season—there will be surprises. Sounds like life doesn’t it? After all, Life began in a garden.
Excellent, Gary. Time does stand still in a garden except for the myriad of insects crawling, flying, squiggling and hopping. I got close to some bumble bees yesterday and it was fascinating watching their routine. It was calming. And for just a moment, life was suspended. It’s a great way to start a day. June has the right idea.