Thursday, August 18, 2016

Dear God,

Garden work can give valuable life lessons.  They point to tasks needing done in the human soul.

This week I helped my neighbor clean and clear a thicket of invasive bittersweet, raspberry bushes, maple trees, old stumps, and a variety of noxious weeds.  In the hot sun I chopped down trees and then dug up the stumps just so I could get to the soil where the huge bittersweet roots lay buried in the soil.  I dug up, pruned, and pulled those nasty suckers that were thick and hard to clear. 

As I was cutting away, I suddenly started talking to the chaotic mess.  I found myself thinking about family beliefs, practices, and habits that have been woven in our lives.  I started talking aloud, "You are out of here!  No more.  You will not stay rooted in our lives."  Over and over again I shouted at the weeds before me and those entangled in our own family system. When I finally took a water break and sat down for a brief rest, I realized how much a garden is like the human soul that needs to be regularly cleared, cleaned, and rooted out or else all the nasty things that get in our way will take over.  But when we put our hand to the shovel, we can make beautiful things appear once again.  But then grace is like that.

Thank you,
Holy Father,
for valuable
life lessons.
Thank you
for the task
of clearing
and cleaning
a once-loved garden.
Be blessed,
dear God,
be blessed
with my gratitude.

Love, Andrea