I had the brilliant idea this year to put in a few more gardens. We loved having our vegetable garden last summer, watching the plants grow big and give us yummy things like tomatoes. So, we added another raised bed behind the first one, this time with an extra section to give us even more room. The plants haven't flourished quite as quickly as last year, due to something nibbling them at night, but they're starting to get there now. Around the back porch, and in the front of the house, we added even more beds, but this time for flowers and fun things. The brilliance of this is that it makes it easier for my husband to mow. Less grass, right? And no more in and out around the little beds we had last year. It's all one straight line. Ha! Just one problem. Weeds. These are all of my front flower bed. Only a couple of those plants are supposed to be there--the phlox, azalea, hydrangea, and bulbs. The rest ... those are my constant battle. This area had been completely covered with grass (and other weeds that we call grass because they're things that get mowed down). Because of the awkward shape and the sidewalk on one side, it was hard to mow. And I loved the idea of a bed full of flowering bushes and shrubs (we added a rose bush on Mother's day) to brighten the front of our house and make me happy. But even though we thought we had dug up most of that grass, the roots ran deep. Here's a small clump of grass that I pulled up. I got quite a bit of root with it, as you can see. But I know I missed some. This is the kind of grass that has roots that pop up a cluster of grass, then snake along under ground and pop up some more a foot away, then do it again and again. For all I know, this root system could connect somewhere along the way to the stuff growing in my back yard, too.
The Bible mentions having a faith rooted in God/Jesus quite a bit. And Jeremiah 17:8 talks about "[The man who trusts in the Lord] is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” And yes, trees have amazing root systems. But after being out in the garden several days, pulling up these weeds, I'm thinking I want a faith that has a root system like that. It can grow underneath, where no one can see how far it goes. It can remain alive even if part of it gets pulled up. Yes. That sounds like the kind of faith I want.
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This is a place for me to share thoughts and ideas not just related to writing. Thoughts about what's going on in my life, about an idea I got that I thought shareworthy, or just a funny anecdote.
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