But this must mean more than using organic lawn products or reducing household toxins. We also do well in making our homes and yards reminders for all of the beauty of creation.
I was thinking of this driving home from lunch with long-time, long-unseen friends. To avoid the summer beach traffic, I took the back roads from Rhode Island’s coastal south. This brought me through rural areas that had wonderful house gardens—whether modest or elaborate, or just a few planters on the front steps. These were the gardens of mostly small, simple homes—and yet with their gardens, they looked to be nestled in Eden.
As a gardener myself, I appreciate when people say how much they enjoy passing by my yard. I’m glad that my efforts delight others. Home gardens transform communities and lift souls. They remind us of the great glory of God’s work in the world.
This takes me to an observation made after lunch by one of my friends. She is a woman who does not adhere to an organized family of faith—but she was interested in what I had to tell her about Benedict XVI’s teachings about love, relationship and much more. Turns out, what she had to say was a wonderful, theologically powerful statement in itself, one which the likes of Benedict XVI and Karl Barth would have approved. As we were talking about our gardens, I noted that much of my yard’s beauty comes from various types of hosta—those easy-to-maintain, fast-growing, lush-leaved shade-loving plants. Within a few days in early spring, I said, my borders are transformed from barren stretches to leafy beauty, thanks primarily to hosta being hosta and sprouting their leaves with majesty. This prompted my friend to say something like “I know, we take all the credit for our gardens when it’s really God doing all the work.”
How true she was! It’s always good to be reminded of the primacy of God’s grace.
So, a quick prayer: Thank you, God. People may compliment me on my yard, but its beauty is part of your creation, for which you rightly deserve our praise.
I come to this blog late, but...
ReplyDeletethe garden spaces around our home are medicine to me! I started them for my own enjoyment and was surprised at the effect they had on people who passed by. They have been an invitation for people to stop and talk, our kids used to tell me that some people knew our house by the garden areas, etc. I have mostly perennial, xeric plants that have the habit of moving themselves around, planting themselves in unexpected places. I love that! I never know what to expect and it makes the garden feel even more alive. It has been a place of wonder, prayer and rejuvination for me. Thank God for the gift of gardens!