Sunshine, rain, herbs, flowers, birds chirping, bunnies nibbling on my plants…HELLO, SUMMER! Not that the winter was so terrible. It’s wasn’t particularly cold. We didn’t have snowfalls like we used to. But it seemed so LONG. I think I’m still coming out of the Covid trance. Still worried about it. All that worry and anxiety had a stifling effect on me. I didn’t feel very productive and wasn’t getting much accomplished. It just seemed easier to watch t.v., read a book and bake..and then eat what I baked. Which didn’t help the waistline.

But now, thank you God, all that has changed. The sun says “Hello” every morning and the plants are loving it. I’m not a “gardener” but I do love being out early in the morning, 5 a.m with Angel, digging, pulling a few weeds, enjoying the stillness and the bird songs. It’s a comtemplative time that I have grown to appreciate and treasure.

Then, the sun begins it’s rise, casting beams of soft light over the field and into the garden. Touching the tree trunks with a golden glow. Everything seems to be waiting for this moment, the plants start to lean into the beams, the birds accelerate their chirping, the day begins anew. Or, as so many poets have said, the world awakens. Again. Whatever is going on in the world, good, bad, beautiful, terrible, unexplainable, confusing, inspiring…the sun announces its arrival every day bringing with it life and hope. The flowers are going to grow, whether it’s in the rubble of Ukraine, the cracks in the sidewalk or our gardens. Every day is a new opportunity to be grateful for the large or small things in our lives. The bud or the blooming flower. The nest or the bird. The poem or the novel. The cup that is half empty or the cup that is half full. The garden helps to keep gratefulness in the forefront of my mind. It makes me more patient. There are no “immediate gratification” moments in a garden. Pulling a few weeds is an every day project. Then, hours and days later, a beautiful weed-free garden emerges allowing the flowers and plants to spread and bloom. One step at a time, one day at a time. It’s a good way to live life. “To plant a garden is to believe in the future”. -Audrey Hepburn