God & gardens

[CradleCath]

Myself & my family have had a difficult year. My brother is in the end stages of cirrhosis, one of my children went through a very nasty divorce, I ended up in the hospital because the pharmacy misfilled a prescription, etc., ETC.

HOWEVER, yesterday I was out working in one of my flower beds & after about an hour of turning the soil, adding some fertilizer. putting down a new border & just preparing it for planting annuals, I looked over at our faithful dog, Ben (named after the Pope), I watched my dear husband as he was cutting the grass & it came to me........life doesn't get much better than this. I have EVERYTHING that really matters.

Gardening is VERY therapeutic, for me at least. One can really get to know God while studying the life cycle of plants. I look all around me & perrenials that were "dead" last fall, have been resurrected & will soon be full of blooms of many colors. How could a gardener doubt the afterlife??

God could have just as easily created the world in black & white. The soil could still produce food.....the trees could have still borne fruit & cattle don't care what color the grass is......they'd eat it anyway. Yet He created this beautiful earth for us & I'm very grateful.

[cradlecatholic5]

Yes, it is very theraputic. I find getting my hands in the soil and planting seeds and flowers give me such admiration for what God has done for us ... on so many levels. We just step out our doors and see beauty all around us.

As a fellow Missourian, I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm in St. Louis.

[CradleCath]

[

QUOTE=cradlecatholic5;6599193][font="Century Gothic"]Yes, it is very theraputic. I find getting my hands in the soil and planting seeds and flowers give me such admiration for what God has done for us ... on so many levels. We just step out our doors and see beauty all around us.

Amen!!! I am reminded of the old poem:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden.
Than anywhere else on earth.
(except for the Catholic Mass

As a fellow Missourian, I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm in St. Louis.

I'm closer to Kansas City & I've been to a lot of large cities during buying trips for my shop.... Dallas (a lot), San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, etc. St. Louis is my FAVORITE city in this country. I love the people, the cab drivers are totally unique. They are ambassadors for a city they love & one can't ride with them without hearing about the Cardinals, the Landing, Union Depot, etc. I especially love "The Hill" & the food there. A Catholic who has never visited the old Basillica has missed so much.

I last visited there 3 yrs. ago with some of the alumnus of a Sacred Heart high school. We stayed in St. Charles & visited the tiny cell where St. Phillipine Duschene spent a good part of her life.

[Gertabelle]

Originally Posted by CradleCath

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden.
Than anywhere else on earth.
(except for the Catholic Mass

I LOVE this poem! Thanks for posting it

One of the things that always gets my heart racing is the smell of the wet earth. Seeing God's fingerprints on every one of His creations is a tremendous grace. Not being able to work in the yard yet has made me all the more appreciative of the beauty of simply observing the plants and weather of the changing seasons. His handiwork heals the heart.

Gertie