Dear Reader:

Every time I look out, onto the front yard, from the porch, I notice how my Bradford Pear leans (slanted-ly) to the right. My neighbor’s oak tree’s branches grow over my driveway and block the Bradford Pear branches from the sun on the left…so it leans right…searching for the light. (Eventually I imagine it will topple to the right also…but not today hopefully!)

Yesterday was a day spent in the garden and with  some ‘digging help’ from Luke…new plants interred for the spring. This year I am wanting varying heights in the garden…like tall blooming grasses and wild flowers…I want to add some height dimension and some mystery where everything isn’t seen all at once.

Of course it will take time for this to happen…perhaps  a few seasons but that is okay…my dream garden is just as real to me, today, as my ‘right now’ garden…all I have to do is close my eyes to see it.

With Luke’s (Thank you Lord for Luke!) help we even got the fountain cleaned out ….coins soaked in chlorox and hundreds of oak leaves removed… The fountain is now running again with ‘clean’ change, clear water…wishes will just have to come true with shiny pennies!

I had forgotten how much I missed that sound of trickling water…what is it about softly running water that soothes the soul?

I am only going to share two more excerpts (today and tomorrow) from Small Graces since I heard back from some of you that you are ordering it… I don’t want to be a “spoiler alerter” sharing too much …so the excerpts from five of the vignettes (used in my blog posts) still leaves 15 more in the book…There are lots of wonderful thoughts and anecdotes for you to explore and (hopefully like me) embrace in your heart, as well as, your thoughts.

This vignette is titled “The Gift of the Garden”

Nerburn admits that he was never a ‘garden’ person most of his life and even now only keeps a mental one….but still it is a garden created from a chance encounter with a Jesuit priest, a friend of his, who opened his eyes to the life lessons found in it.

The Jesuit priest had spent most of his life studying, learning, and reading…earning many advanced degrees in his pursuit of the meaning of life. He now spent more time in the garden and less time with his books.

When Nerburn asked him about his change in perspective… between the garden and his library…he answered;

“I still ask the large questions, ” he said. “But I no longer seek large answers. A flower, or the space between a branch and a rock, these are enough.” 

He pointed to a leaf he was removing from the stem of a small plant.

“Look here,” he said, as the leaf released and fell softly into his hand. “This looks like nothing more than an insignificant shrub. But in fact it is a small tree, strong and full, with a rich and private life that no one knows or sees.”

He pointed to a sliver of sunlight beaming down upon its branches. “…See how this branch is now turning to the light…I opened this to the sun last year. I knew that by allowing the smallest bit of light to shine upon this plant, it would slowly turn its face toward the sun.”

He stopped and smiled “Are any of us so different from this tree- strong, full, with a life almost unnoticed? And who among us does not grow and prosper when someone shines even the smallest bit of sunlight upon us? What more do I need to know of God and faith?”

“If I cannot see the face of God in a flower or a shaft of light, why should I expect to see it in ideas and books?”

Since then Nerburn is drawn to various gardens in his travels…and in his mind he pictures himself reaching down and touching the delicate leaf of a plant…remembering his wise friend’s words:

“Everything lives, everything dies, everything leans to the light.”

So until tomorrow… Nerburn concludes: “If I knew only this, it would be enough.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Some of you on Facebook have already seen Frances Townsend’s notice about the Gullah basket ladies arrival this Saturday…tomorrow! It is always fun and they bring lots of merchandise at good prices. So if you are in the Summerville area…do stop by and pick up a little bit of history as a keepsake.

Address: 302 Marion Avenue   (843-873-1341)

Eloise’s tree marker finally arrived yesterday. And as if to celebrate… the newest Japanese Maple’s first spring leaves flooded the branches of the youngest tree…growing like our Eloise.