Grace and Invitation in (Not So) Ordinary Time

I've finally gotten back into gardening for the first time since moving into our new house last July. Here I have inherited an acre-sized yard from an avid gardener and thanks to her work I've been able to enjoy the fruit (er, blooms) of her labor without much work on my part. I've done some weeding and trimming and removed a few dead plants, but it wasn't until recently I started pulling out plants that didn't work for our family, or that I just didn't like. (They've moved to other people's gardens and are very happy there.)

While I'm out working in the garden, Grant's been building a treehouse fort for the boys to go along with the zipline he gave Guy for his birthday. Meanwhile, the boys are riding bikes or driving their little tractor or shooting water guns. Gage normally swings or sits in the grass and babbles to everyone, only occasionally getting squirted by his big brothers.

Though working out in my garden at our previous house was such a happy thing for me and I looked forward to getting back to it here, it just didn't work until now. Until the weather changed and (most importantly) the boys were all able to be a bit self-sufficient for short stretches, it just wasn't doable.

I wasn't willing to get up early and trade sleep for a prettier yard. I wasn't willing to spend my evenings outside when all I really wanted was to go to bed early, watch TV, read a book, chat with a friend, or hang out with Grant alone together. For a whole year, it wasn't worth a trade.

And then, all of a sudden, I didn't feel like a trade. It felt like a way to connect more rather than less. And, it wears me out so that when the day's over, I sleep more soundly than I had been.  And, because I'm enjoying being outside so much I've also had multiple friends out for pandemic-tide socially-distanced chats in the spaces I've been making. Plus, I've been doing breath prayers with Osheta Moore in the mornings outside most days. 

So, somehow adding gardening in is helping me feel more rested and feel more connected to people I love. Plus it's getting me a house and yard that feels more peaceful, is more beautiful, and works better for our whole family slowly, slowly.

It has been one of the biggest gifts and graces of this season. 

Makes me grateful I fully embraced the other seasons I've been in and to now be embracing this one of playing outside.

What are the gifts and graces of the season for you?

Alongside you,

P. S. This email is about gardening, but not really about gardening. It's about embracing the season you're in, noticing what is life-giving and what isn't. In case you actually ARE interested in gardening, I cannot recommend it enough. My favorite gardening resources will be coming soon. In the meantime, I've shared some in my Instagram stories, which is where I'll continue sharing how I'm cultivating a home, a family, a business, a team, and a garden.