I Will Give Her Gardens

"All things are yours! Do you believe it?

All things are yours? Can you receive it?

The sea, the sky, the air; The beauties everywhere:

God's wonderful out-of-doors -- All yours."

Jean Newberry, 1925, from a card printed in England

"For all things are yours . . . and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." 1 Cor. 3:21-22

When I retired five years ago, I like to imagine God said: "I must give my child something to bring joy to her heart. I will give her gardens." This girl never played in dirt. I love taking pictures of flowers and gardens, but no one was going to make me get my hands dirty.

But God had a delight for me that I wasn't aware of. And with the cutting down of a large tree in our yard, leaving an ugly area, God planted in my mind the dream, and a garden was planted.

Sitting right across the driveway from the new garden was an equally ugly area. That fall it became the second garden.

The following year, with another large tree coming down in the backyard, the Wildflower garden was created. I love Wildflower gardens, and although this isn't quite there yet, I dream of it becoming a refreshing Wildflower garden.

The Peony and Hibiscus garden was fenced in the next year. Peonies had been growing in this garden for several years now, under the hanging basket. We added three Hibiscus bushes. Did you notice the birdhouse on the right on top of a small shrub trunk? I love it, but the birds don't. I would like to put some more plants in this garden. Maybe next year.

As I've mentioned in earlier posts, now I love to go out early in the morning and walk and work in my gardens. The well known song "In The Garden" is a reality to me, and the doldrums of summer are now filled with joy.

I still don't like to get my hands dirty, but I have some pleasant garden gloves to keep them clean.

I'm thankful for the folks who helped me with the gardens these last 1 1/2 years while I took a detour with my health. I'm thrilled to be able to work in them once again.

Yes, I believe God wanted to give me some joy and blessed me with these gardens. They're a lot of work, but mostly enjoyable work. I am filled with JOY!

The Hibiscus are blooming! What a treat to enjoy their beauty!

"Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers." May Sarton