Wrestling With Weeds

Matthew 13:22-23

²² "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. ²³ But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

     My garden is slowly drowning in weeds. The flowers peek forlornly from beneath the boisterous batches of unknown and unwanted plants that have sprung up around them. They began with small shoots and lack of attention on my part allowed them to creep insidiously upward and outward until they became a big problem.
    Last weekend, I decided the time had come to start wrestling the weeds into submission. I pulled and plucked for hours, my daughter sometimes helping me, and still the job was incomplete. I now stand and shake my head, irritated with myself for letting the weeds get so out of control. A combination of other obligations and the extremely hot temperatures this summer made it all too easy for me to avoid this necessary task.
    As I was weeding, I remembered the verses from the Bible I've listed above. As I have said before, I would rather be out in nature than anywhere else, and often feel closest to God there. In the stillness of wild and natural places, I hear God's voice most clearly. I have been trying in my own life lately to determine what is most important and worthy of my time and attention. Too often, I have allowed the cares and difficulties of life to choke out these things just as the weeds have choked the flowers in my garden. I must not allow the stress and seeming tail-chasing of everyday life create such frenzy and busyness that I neglect to look around for someone in need that I can help, someone I can cheer with a kind word, someone in whose life I can make a positive difference. My prayer today is that the "weeds" in my life will not get in the way of showing God's love to my family, my friends and acquaintances, and to people I have not even met yet.

The Call of the Sea

"I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying."
-John Masefield
     We spent some time visiting Wrightsville Beach this past weekend and I was struck by the common expressions I noticed on the faces of people young and old and in between all around me and my family. It was a blustery, overcast day, not what you would think of as perfect beach weather, yet everyone I saw was smiling and enjoying the moment. I guess it goes to show, as a friend of mine said, "There is NEVER a bad day at the beach." There is just something about being by the ocean that brings peace. I can still remember seeing the "real" ocean for the first time when I was an undergrad. I had to stop and just stare in awe for a few moments at the vastness of it all. The breeze in your hair, the hint of salt on your lips, and the sounds and sights of the waves and the cries of the gulls eases and soothes. As I begin a new school year with all the stress and excitement that brings, the memory of this walk on the beach will suffice when I need a happy place to occupy my mind.

A Gardener's Patience

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

     Gardening is something I truly enjoy. Time spent digging in the dirt, pondering the possibilities, analyzing (and sometimes eating) the results, battling weeds, and dreaming of the next season, is never wasted. It is also a time when I might engage in some personal interior pruning, harvesting, and re-positioning, time for my mind to wander deep into thought about various topics.
     In my mind, I have been debating with myself about what to write about in this next entry and looking for inspiration for several weeks, feeling inexplicably guilty for not producing anything. On summer break, you would think it would be easy for me to find time to sit down and crank out something! Watching the growth of my tomatoes this summer has made me think about my own progress as a writer and a thinker. It takes time and care for those delicate yellow flowers to morph into gorgeous red globes. To a casual observer, it might seem that little is happening during the actual day-to-day process but to one invested in that process, the end result is deeply appreciated. For me, writing at this stage of my life seems to follow a similar pattern. The thoughts churn around in the back of my mind, often pushed aside by other necessary obligations. Eventually, they coalesce into something of substance that pushes back and demands to be expressed, not unlike a seedling bursting up out of the soil. I am learning to show myself the same patience and care that I show the vegetables and flowers in my garden. With so many demands on my time, and a new school year beginning soon, I am granting myself permission (without guilt) to take the time to continue to nuture my own soul and creativity.