I used to not like summer at all. Way too hot! The mugginess got to me, giving me headaches, and the lazy days just dragged on forever.. And all that mud in the spring was enough to stir dread of the next round, almost before the season was over… and what a way to precede summer!
Fall was pretty good; nice and cool with colourful leaves, but then boring and cold after the leaves fell. Winter seemed the perfect season. Cold, yes, but the beauty of pure white everywhere… and what’s better than looking out at all that prettiness with a cup of hot cocoa? Not to mention surfing snow drifts with a little car.. So winter was it. My favourite season.
That was all before last summer… in the days when I considered myself to be anything but a gardener. But that all changed when we did our front yard in August 2014. It was a bit of a ‘hope it looks okay mosaic piece of art’ I brainstormed even as we spent a week slaving over it. To my relief, it looked pretty good, when all was said and done. And I found myself looking forward to when the plants had taken deeper root.
This year, with time and nurturing, it’s all been stunning! I like sitting on my front porch for my morning coffee, or watch the birds steal drinks from the fountain, on a hot day, or sit on my bench. And I enjoy cool evenings, with nature alive around me…. except the misquitos… they chase me back in and I wouldn’t mind at all if they were less alive.
In a few weeks I plan on popping in a bunch of spring-flower-bulbs I’ve never had before… And I find myself thinking about next spring and totally looking forward to it already! … and here I sit, on a beautiful fall evening, loving life, loving my garden, and loving the season….
Life is like that… everything takes on meaning, with just a slight change in perspective. Hot days are not so hot, when there is a purpose, like growing flowers. And the hard times, when it feels like there’s mud everywhere, and we feel stuck and purposeless…. and then the flowers begin to poke out of that mud, as new life unfolds, having pushed through that dark and hopeless places… and the realization strikes that life is birthed in dark regions… and that life seems that much more glorious, in contrast.
Season by season, the awareness registers that we become stronger and more whole, with the experience of the years. Whether in committed relationship, or wisdom, or any other growth… Just like the Delphiniums grow taller and stronger, with each passing year, so we grow with trials, struggles and tragedies. Sure, sometimes the struggles knock us down–like the heavy rains and winds this summer, knocking down those electric blue flowers, breaking stems–and we feel lifeless. But like my flowers, that bounced back in full bloom this fall, our spirits are resilient, and we rise again.
And, with time, we embrace the changing season and the up and down of life, weeping now and then when it’s hard, but mostly loving life and realizing that every experience serves a purpose. And our trust in God is strengthened with the awareness that He loves us in every season, in the rise and fall of our humanity. He is not daunted by it, neither is He swayed. He simply is. He is God. He is good. He is love.
Love,
~ T ~
A Splash of Love.... 
Beautiful pictures of your garden. I don’t have a green thumb. Every green plant I touch gives up the ghost. Not sure why that doesn’t work with the pesky mosquitos! Lovely post.
lol! Yes, unfortunately mosquitoes are much easier to keep alive! I have to say, there’s somewhat of a miracle in the fact that I have a garden that is thriving. I have never had much of a green thumb. All my house plants die, usually within a year… or less. An exception is a ‘mixed plant’ given me by church when my father died. Most of the plants died, one by one, but a stubborn ivy and another plant–whatever it is–are now twelve and a half years old… and in *my* care! I think one thing that has changed is my need for therapeutic outlet, in an art form I can enjoy… and the garden is it. They say necessity breeds innovation, and I felt I ‘needed’ nature at my doorstep. I thank God for it… because it really does feel like somewhat of a miracle, and it does soothe my spirit when I’ve heard hard stories or dealt with difficult situations. 🙂
One of these days I will stop n have a look…almost did the other day but was short on time whwn.i went by..
Looks lovely! Especially whimsical with the lights at night… If you smear coconut oil on all exposed skin, it repels mosquitos and is good for your skin as well. 🙂
Well, bonus! Thank you… I shall have to try that. I love coconut… love the smell of the oil and the feel on my skin. And if that’s all it takes to send them scrambling, I am all in! Thank you!