gardening + spirituality + homesteading + creation care
Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. ~Chinese Proverb This morning, after I fed the chickens, I was attaching their netting cover to the side of the fence. I do it every morning and night, but today, it… Continue Reading “lessons learned: what bird netting can teach us about relaxation”
Go out, go out I beg of you And taste the beauty of the wild. Behold the miracle of the earth With all the wonder of a child. ~Edna Jaques This weekend, I was given a great gift by Nature. Nature turned my serious,… Continue Reading “lessons learned: Nature’s therapy for teenage girls”
Prayer is not a product; it is a relationship. ~ Daniel Wolpert, Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices Spending time in the kitchen or in nature is one of my favorite forms of prayer. In those places, God and… Continue Reading “lessons learned: what canning has taught me about prayer”
Last night, I headed out to the gardens. It has been a least a week since I could actually spend time there– sometimes, a homesteader simply has to focus on her home indoors and let Nature take her course outdoors. And take it she… Continue Reading “lessons learned: what berries can teach us about bad habits”
Last week, my dear friend extended an impromptu invitation to dinner on Friday night. It was kind and thoughtful, and normally, with two hours of child-free time, I would have jumped at the chance. But Friday night, I found myself saying to her, “I… Continue Reading “wilting on the vine”
God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. ~Vance Havner Recently, my daughter and I spent an afternoon together at a local paint-it-yourself pottery shop. … Continue Reading “lesson learned: brokeness like a mosaic”
Yesterday, we started working on the community garden at church. After weeks of rain-outs and equipment rescheduling, the field had been plowed and awaited tilling. The gentleman who’s helping me organize this journey emailed me to let me know that the area was filled… Continue Reading “lessons learned: pitchin’ the rocks”
In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood 1. Overalls, garden boots, hats and sunscreen 2. Shovel, hoe, trowel, watering can, wheelbarrow 3. New seed starts 4. Anticipation, excitement 5. Pitchfork, compost bucket, fresh worms, shredded… Continue Reading “checklist for a sunny Saturday”
Some think it’s holding on that makes one strong; sometimes, it’s letting go. ~Sylvia Robinson Last night, I was reading a meditation on the freedom of letting go. Barbara Johnson shares this analogy: “Letting go is like cleaning out your closet. You may not… Continue Reading “lessons learned: cleaning out the closet”
You must weed your mind as you would weed your garden. ~Terri Guillemet He who hunts for flowers will finds flowers; and he who loves weeds will find weeds. ~Henry Ward Beecher It’s been a week of weed pullin’ around here. With all of… Continue Reading “lessons learned: pullin’ weeds”
Lord of the elements and changing seasons, keep me in the hollow of your hand. When I am tossed to and fro by the winds of adversity and the blasts of sickness and misunderstanding, still my racing heart, quiet my troubled mind. ~Brother Ramon,… Continue Reading “waiting in the hands of the Creator”
Today, I had the joy of having a day off work and a daughter who just wanted to have some down time in her bedroom. I know, right?! Graciously (and without hesitation!), I took the opportunity to pick up the shovel and start mulching… Continue Reading “taking a garden stroll: relaxing activities for the homesteader”
Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. ~Anonymous I am sitting here on my front… Continue Reading “lessons learned: weathering the storm”
“I do not understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.” ~Anne Lamott I began this week with short meditation on a small but powerful observation by Anne Lamott: … Continue Reading “lessons learned: allow grace in”
My hands are small, I know But they’re not yours, they are my own ~Jewel, “Hands” Raising a teenage daughter comes with it many interesting gifts and graces, and I am also learning to appreciate (to be read: “tolerate”) the feedback she likes to… Continue Reading “dirty hands, peaceful heart”
Two weeks ago, hauling mulch back and forth from your neighbor’s yard, one small wheelbarrow at a time, afforded me the opportunity to work some things out. I don’t mean reflect on it or problem solve it–I mean really work it OUT, out of… Continue Reading “on hauling mulch”
In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.––Margaret Atwood After a week of being gone from the farm, I came home. I came home to blooming tulips, green leafed berry vines, and blossoming trees. As I sit on… Continue Reading “at the end of the day–spring comes to growing grace farm”
I do not understand the mystery of grace — only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us. ~Anne Lamott This weekend, I celebrate being cancer free for two years! The “story” is quite intricate, but… Continue Reading “on growth, gardening boots and grace”
As I prepare to go about my work today, may my intention to live in your present moment be the pattern for this day and my life. With your help, may I forever do only one thing at a time– always in communion with… Continue Reading “mindfulness–one step directions for our lives”
There is only one moment in time when it is essential to awaken. That moment is now. ~The Buddha (c.563-483BCE) When I go walking, my preference is to head out to a country road rather than a park or neighborhood. It is more peaceful… Continue Reading “lessons learned: waiting on the cows”
From the livingroom window of our home, I can observe two of my favorite things–our small farm below and the sun rising from behind the mountains. While we live in a suburban neighborhood, our house sits atop a small hill which places us just… Continue Reading “light in the morning”
This weekend, I am taking a bit of a sabbath. My tween is gone (’nuff said), I have no work or ministry obligations, and most importantly, I’ve made the commitment to homestead my myself. Yes, that’s what I said “homestead myself.” I consider myself… Continue Reading ““homesteading” the homesteader”
True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. ~William Penn I came home from work yesterday worn out, and then I walked in my kitchen. Argh! Give me a garden… Continue Reading “grace comes in like a spring breeze”
One of my favorite films is Under the Tuscan Sun. There are so many sentimental reasons why this movie touched my life when it did, and it’s not let go since. Normally, I’m not a “chick flick” kind of girl, but this one took… Continue Reading “bring on the snow day”
Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. ~Ovid Last night, I was reading an article on biodynamic farming (I know–light reading on a Friday night!). It happened to mention the importance of letting the land be fallow for a year… Continue Reading “just rest: our bodies as fallow fields”
God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” ~William A. Ward When I first read this quote, I quickly thought, “Ugh, that one sounds like it comes from the front of a greeting card.” I… Continue Reading “86,400 seconds in a day–how will you use just one?”
Ok, so now you want to know, “What is upcycling?” A friend asked if that was an excuse for hoarding, and my tween daughter thinks I’m just trying to be cool using that term instead of “recycling.” (cue the eyeroll. . .) For me… Continue Reading “upcycling”
Forgiveness is the healing of wounds caused by another. You choose to let go of a past wrong and no longer be hurt by it. ~Real Live Preacher, Weblog, July 7, 2003 Around the edges of my gardens, I have woodsy areas. In the… Continue Reading “forgiveness like a tree”
Help me, help me, help me. Thank you, thank you, thank you. ~Two prayers by Anne Lamott One morning, I headed out the door early. My daughter was in a bit of a funk having gone to sleep later than normal the night before,… Continue Reading “prayers learned in the garden (aka gratitude for anne lamott)”
The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. ~George Bernard Shaw, The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God, 1932 When I began my journey into gardening, I felt drawn to the soil… Continue Reading “autobiography of a gardener”
Gardens are a form of autobiography. ~Sydney Eddison, Horticulture magazine, August/September 1993 As a gardener, I find that I would rather live and work outside than inside. Even on chilly, dusky late autumn evenings, you will find me in my overalls, kneeling over my… Continue Reading “tending to the garden”