As I noted in my previous post, I embarked on the rather new adventure of growing plants from seeds. This adventure turned into rather a misadventure and I failed to realize that, when accustoming seedlings to life outside, one should not leave them outside...all day...in the sun! Needless to say, my first batch of seedlings died.
However, not to be discouraged, I replanted and now have a nice new batch of seedlings which I am introducing to the outdoors in a much more methodical and gradual manner:
As you can see, these poor late starters are probably not going to provide much summer produce (maybe by the fall? we can hope). So, I also took some time this Memorial Day weekend to purchase slightly more mature plants, which I hope to tend over the summer:
We have here blueberries (mine from last year are still alive, but still struggling in our less-than-ideal soil), raspberries (a new one for me), tomatoes, parsley, cilantro, and basil. Yummy!
I can never garden without remembering my time at the Antiochian Village Summer Camp. Every year, it seemed, the campers were required as part of our Christian Education to weed/remove rocks from the camp vegetable garden (we used to say the counselors spent their training session putting them all back, since every year there seemed to be the same number of rocks). While we were doing this, our Christian Ed. leaders would teach us how gardening is such a wonderful analogy for the spiritual life: in order to make our hearts fertile ground for our Lord Jesus Christ, we must root out from it all of the weeds and rocks (sins, passions, earthly desires and attachments, etc.) This process takes time - a lifetime, in fact - and requires much patience, attention, and vigilance - much like growing seedlings! If we leave our souls unattended for too long, as with young plants, we too may wither from lack of the Living Water and Spiritual Nourishment. Let us not neglect such a great task. May God strengthen us all in this holy endeavor!
