Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Learning Life Through a Garden


--by jeri, posted Jan 30, 2009

   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

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Readers Comments

hotcocoa wrote: Nice story jesi ):
Thanks for sharing it to us.

And by the way i found nature amazing too :d
God bless you and helps you in everything you need.
bhappy wrote: Jeri, How awesome!!! Your growing and enjoying the beauty of God's Garden. And all the little critters are enjoying that with you. Have A Sunshine Day! Becki
dancingDog wrote: Thanks for reminding us of all the beauty that comes with a garden, Jeri! I also find it theraputic and enjoy spending time with the flowers :=D
tressyanne wrote: sending smiles your way. have a beautiful day. thank you for sharing this post.
tress
AURELIA wrote: How Beautiful Jeri!!! I too love to garden and watch patiently for things to grow and blossom. Hummingbirds are so neat to watch...and only if you are lucky enough to have them around you.
I love the poem and going to pass it along to someone else who will also enjoy it. :0) ~Smiling just thinking of your wonderful gardens! :)~Aurelia
bae6 wrote: What a great story! I do not like to garden,but Brad does.Plus I love the poem!
cabbage wrote: Thank you so very much. My husband and I both love to garden and even though we are still trying to "figure it out" (given that our yard is more like a jungle adventure right now!) we are enjoying the process. Even though (right now) everything isn't "where I want it to be", I can still find peace in sitting amid the birds and butterflies.
I really really loved your post. I hope I can learn as much from my garden as you have! Thanks for the inspiration.
Lots of hugs to you.
I am going to read this post again!
lmil1954 wrote: Jeri, what a wonderful post. Than ks for sharing your "growing" experience. Love, Linda:)
butterfly wrote: i also really enjoyed reading your post. your garden and the joy you experience is truely magical. you are very blessed.
Maumauc wrote: Thank you so much for sharing your journey toward finding a greater peace outside yourself that found its own garden within you. May it grow in beauty and JOY and renewal. agape'

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