life in the garden

Early this year, we became proud new members of the Henderson Park Community Garden. As newbies to gardening, we dove right in, getting our plot tilled, adding soil, and sprinkling out way too many seeds! Before long, we had a plot full of lettuce, kale, beets and potatoes. When warmer weather arrived, we added tomatoes, beans, peppers, and cucumbers. For months and months, we have enjoyed the fruits of our labor…but as each season has waned, we’ve had to pull out the plants that reached the end of their cycle.

I’ve found the process of getting rid of the old plants to be hard. Seems silly, I know…but I haven’t wanted to give up on them. It’s hard to pull up something you planted, watched with excitement as it grew, and then made into a something wonderful to eat. But, no matter how much I wanted them to last, their season was over. No point in watering, fertilizing, and watching what is finished. Time to pull out the old in order to make room for the new.

That’s how my life seems right now. The season for some things I’ve committed to, worked on, dreamed about, looked forward to, and even suffered through, are coming to a close. Whether they have been things that brought great joy or things that have brought significant struggles…they have been MY joys and struggles, and I’m finding them hard to let go.

But the time has come. Time to pull things out and let things go in order to make space for new things to begin. New things that will keep my life vibrant and growing. It’s going to take a little time and require a little work…but, I’m just thinking I’m ready to say some goodbyes…and ready to look for some hellos.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

 

Featured photo:  Granddaughter Wren, Henderson Park Community Garden, Early Spring 2014.