Why I Garden

   I must admit, whenever the question is asked 'why I garden' it stumps me. Gardening has been a part of my life for so many years, it seems I just never gave much thought as to why I do it. My grandmothers gardened, my great-grandmothers, my dad worked a garden. Gardening, for me, has just always been.
   As I ponder it, many reasons to garden come to mind. First and foremost, healthy, natural produce is provided for my family by the kitchen garden. Stewardship over the blessing of land, time and knowledge God has graciously seen fit to provide me is another. I do believe if you have it you should use it and use it wisely. My husband enjoys the satisfaction of fresh foods from the fields when he sits down at his table. Yet, there is more.
   Entering the garden gate, my heart connects to my heritage; the women of years past who toiled the soil before me. My mind carries back over the  years to green bean picking and weed pulling from days on the prairie; wind whipping my hair, bare feet wiggling in the soil. Gardens my father raised- raw turnips straight from the ground snacked on from the row's end. It is a link to my past and a road to my future. Even so, there is a deeper reason.
   Life began in a garden, and for me, life is sustained in a garden. Not simply by the harvest of food, but the oneness with the Lord- a oneness I have found no where else. The mere unfurling leaves from the lifeless form a of a seed reveals the majesty and grace of a creative and amazing God. His intricate attention to detail found it the leaves and petals of every plant- the cycle of life, the flurry of activity as bees pollinate and worms turn soil. Every brush of wind is like the gently touch of His hand. The garden holds a spiritual tie to the author and finisher of life in this world..it sustains me.
   As my children have grown, gardening has become part of their lives; a heritage passed on. There stories are told of their grandparents and I working together; of their first garden experiences when they were small. Green beans are munched right from the bush as wiggle worms are marveled over. Baskets full of food bring satisfaction to their hearts when carried back to the farmhouse table. Quiet moments are shared as birds sing and bees buzz; our hearts sense His presence as the breeze brushes our faces.
   I garden because it is part of me; it always has been; it always will be. It is my heritage, my heart, and my soul...my quiet moments with my Lord. I garden, because I can.