A Child's Garden
Today we spent the morning outside and tended to some of our plants. Lucky was so surprised to see new flowers sprouting in the pots and the first tomatoes on the Tumbling Tom hanging basket we bought about a week ago."Wow! They grow so fast!" he announced.I showed him the tiny yellow flowers and explained how they too, would soon grow into tomatoes. He was so amazed! It's funny how with child #1 you have time to explain every little thing, but the more children you have the less time there is to explain the little things. You just sort of assume they know it all already. So, we pulled out a book that shows the cycle of vegetation for fruits and vegetables.When we were done, he got up and inspected the tomato plant again.
"I wish they didn't grow so fast," he said, gently lifting one of the stems and peeking into the basket. "Before you know it they'll be all gone."I agreed with him, but I was thinking more about him and his brothers than the tomatoes.
I thought about how growing a garden is much like raising children. Both require unlimited amounts of love, patience and weeding.
I try so hard to savor every. single. solitary moment with my children. Whenever I feel myself becoming frustrated after telling them a hundred times to eat their food, or after stepping on a pile of Legos that were supposed to be picked up an hour ago, I remind myself that in the blink of an eye, I will be arguing with them about driving, or going on dates or listening to inappropriate music. Or worse, they'll be grown and gone and I won't have anyone to nag at all (except DH, of course). THEN, the Legos and green beans don't seem like such a big deal. They actually make me smile. Why is it so difficult to be content with today and just stay that way?I'm always telling the boys to be happy with today because once gone, is gone forever, and here I am getting all caught up in the rat race again and fussing over the tiniest of life's imperfections. Life is perfectly imperfect, just the way I like it, and sometimes it takes a nice morning full of new life and fresh air to remind me of that.There is something so calming about the outdoors. Fresh air really does make you feel better. It forces you to view life from a different perspective, to stop and meditate on the beauty of it. It makes a soul yearn for prayer. What a peaceful thing to sit outside surrounded by life and have the Jesus prayer on your lips. What a gift! 
After a little more pruning and planting, and talking about the fruits of our labors, Lucky, Sprout and I came inside for lunch. The morning's conversation kept replaying in my mind and I continued to compare the plant cycle of life to that of a child's. A garden takes time and love and lots of weeding, just like a child. How wonderful it feels to eat the first fruits of our garden, I can't imagine how much more wonderful it must feel to watch the fruits of our child-rearing years blossom. You parents, who have raised your children are to be commended. It is the toughest and most rewarding job, indeed, and we are blessed to have been given such a tedious task.
"Make the most of beautiful moments. Beautiful moments predispose the soul to prayer; they make it refined, noble and poetic. Wake up in the morning to see the sun rising from out of the sea as a king robed in regal purple. When a lovely landscape, a picturesque chapel, or something beautiful inspires you, don't leave things at that, but go beyond this to give glory for all beautiful things so that you experience Him who alone is comely in beauty (Psalm 44:2). All things are holy--the sea, swimming and eating. Take delight in them all. All things enrich us, all lead us to the great Love, all lead us to Christ." -Elder Porphyrios, Wounded by Love
This is a stem of Cuban Oregano that we planted today. A friend of mine, who motivated me to start paying more attention to my plants with her incredible garden, gave it to me. Lucky and I planted it and placed it on the kitchen counter above the sink. It smells wonderful and I'm looking forward to cooking with it and watching it as it grows too.