I have a confession to make ...I am a reluctant gardener and the Lord is changing me. When I was a girl I grew up with a mom who had a amazing garden. I remember sneaking fresh peas and we were allowed to have as much raspberries as our hearts desired. She also had a African Violet business with over 4000 African Violets in the basement. I also had a dad that did so much with trees. He grafted them , started them from seed and sold them to a plant nursery, and even shaped his own bonsai trees for a hobby. Me? I did anything in my power not to have anything to do with plants but what did I do? I married a gardener. ( the Lord had a plan)
When I got married I killed about every house plant I was given until eleven years ago. I won a house plant and I was determined to help it survive. It did very well and it gave me hope that I don't really have a brown thumb after all. This was during the time I was pregnant with my 4th son Nicolas. Also at the same time my hubby had a huge, beautiful garden. He needed help harvesting and watering so he bravely asked me to help. That was when the Lord started to working on me in this department. As I would move the hose to from plant to plant and picked the food I started to notice how scripture talked about gardening and relating it to our Lord's kingdom. I have changed over the years being married to a gardener and I have learned what plants looked like at different stages. I have became less intimidated and I am now able to enjoy the process. I fell in love with watching the plants go through the different stages and watching the food grow and then pick it for our meals and preserve it for the winter months. So the Lord used my hubby to lure me into not being such a reluctant gardener.
And I am now wanting my hubby and his brother to build me some more raised beds so I can learn how to have a winter garden. I look forward to sharing what I will be learning as I go. One thing I know about myself is... when I have a purpose I get more excited and more interested in something. I prayed a little while back for the Lord to show me how we could make our dollar stretch further and he showed me a article of a family who grew 90% of their veggies and fruit. Then, I read a article about cold frames in their garden for fresh veggies in the winter. I feel the Lord is planting a seed in me and I am now not so reluctant to call myself... a gardener. I know some can't understand why a person would not enjoy digging in the dirt. But for some reason some of us need a reason to get out there and discover it is enjoyable. [o=
I joined my very sweet friends Lori and Jasmine in ...
It's funny how life changes but then again, God can truly change the heart and mind if we are willing. It sounds like you were willing and God has blessed that.
ReplyDeleteYou can share more about your gardening and stretching that dollar...I know I could use more ideas! :o)
Have a blessed weekend!
Love your post, Mary! I, too, grew up with a veggie-gardener mother, though what she did does not sound as extensive as your parents. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm learning, little by little, and now I'm growing things my mother never did. There is such reward in gardening, and in our hard labors.
Love,
Christine
Praise the Lord! :-) He knew you would marry a gardener. I am glad you embrace your calling with gusto!
ReplyDeleteI would never have guessed, Mary. From following your blog I have gleaned a picture of you as the consummate homesteader, one at whose tea-table I would love to sit and take notes. :-) Your confession gives me fresh inspiration to savor the little things about gardening and remember your timely point of God and His garden.
ReplyDeleteFunny how we change, huh? God is so good.
Have a blessed weekend!
I do love that story, Mary-Girl! A young girl in love doesn't think about such things, does she, LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! And thanks for helping me find beads yesterday ;-D
Love and {{{HUGS}}},
Lori
I love that God is taking so many of us and changing us into new women...not what we thought we would be, but what He knew we would be.
ReplyDeleteI have been praying for you and hoped you were feeling better.
I can't wait to learn more from you....even if I can only do it on a small piece of land I can still learn.
Blessings.
Oh Mary, this post brought such a chuckle!
ReplyDeleteI never enjoyed gardening my friend...I found it such a chore :(
And now...my family has to drag me away from the soil ;0)
Love you,
Maria
This is so encouraging Mary. I did not grow up gardening, yet I felt called to it also. This year the season was so late in coming that I kind of lost my zeal. The flowers have been fun but since our vegi growing season is so short anyway I've been reluctant to put in the work that it takes to have a successful garden. So, I guess I'll just pull myself up by the bootstraps and plant my beans and squash...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement!
Blessings, Debbie
Mary, I relate to the brown thumb because I notoriously kill plants and am not all that safe around the garden. Like you, I'm trying to learn.
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved was the way God drew you to scripture in your "reluctant garden". This was excellent.
I love working in my garden and getting dirt under my nails, but I certainly wasn't always this way. Thanks for sharing your story; the mercy of God in molding us into the helpers our husbands need us to be is a wonderful thing. :) Blessings and hugs to you, ~Lisa :)
ReplyDeletePS: We harvested our first lettuce for a green salad today! Can't wait until dinner.
Glad you are having fun with your garden. :)
ReplyDeleteJoAnn
I thought you must've been a great gardener, my friend lol!
ReplyDeleteI actually enjoy playing in the dirt but I'm not a successful gardener.
It's interesting how our interests can change over time isn't it?
I want to be more serious about the yard these days.
I hope to get vegies to grow for my hubby and me, and so far so good :-)
Hope your winter garden works out for you, Mary.
blessings..Trish