Stories of Kindness from Around the World

   Years ago in Connecticut I began a garden.  I have always found growing things a wonderful form of therapy for me.  I was in recovery from alcohol/drug addiction and had begun to look at my spirituality.  I had a hard time back then turning things over to something bigger than me.  Most especially I was angry at my daughter for not having sought recovery from her own addiction, and the kind of life my grandson was exposed to. 

   One day, I just started a garden bed, and then another.  I wound up surrounding our land with gardens, and in doing  that, found out that I couldn't control lots of things.  I planted stuff the deer didn't like to eat, and then there were some insects I began to try and deal with.  There was too much rain, or not enough, rabbits, squirrels, you name it.

   Of course, anyone who gardens begins to watch how things work.  Actually Mother Nature is a great teacher, and I learned that I was an assistant, and not the boss.  I started to enjoy watching the cycles of life all around me, and it became a pleasure to watch the world I had discovered.  Have you ever watched ants carry a crumb back to their home?  They really work well together.  Butterflies and bees!  Did you know you can put a saucer of water in the garden on top of  a pot amid the flowers and the male butterflies will come and hang out together.   It's called "puddling."

  Oh, and the birds, especially hummingbirds, are amazing.  They are so beautiful to watch.   I even began to enjoy the deer.  One night I went into the kitchen which faced my backyard. I was standing drinking milk in the dark and noticed shapes outside just beyond the deck.  I opened the door and turned on the outside light and there must have been five of the most beautiful deer.  We just stood looking at one another.  For a minute it was like I was in a Bambi movie. 

   I began to fully embrace a kind of feeling about people, places and things I couldn't change.  I started to look at what I needed to do about me. My garden flourished, everyone ate, pollinated, and lived together in peace.  I found peace in learning that all I had to do was my little part, and let everyone and everything else do theirs.

   I used to have my grandson come into the garden and we would crouch down.  We would pretend to be flowers and see what the world looked like from that point of view. 

   I still garden.  It is my church and I know that there is something bigger than me.  Now I grow flowers for the One who created life.  I will leave you with a poem.  The author is Unknown.

However torn by tragedy, or near to breaking it may be,

my heart will never harden.  As long as I have eyes to see

and a window toward the garden. 

Blessings to all!  Jeri