I did not get to plant my garden last year, so I am looking forward to getting back out there this year. I’ve decided that no matter what, I’m planting.

I miss the peace that comes with tending my garden. It’s not always easy, and there are times when I don’t really feel like doing the work, but once I’m out there, my soul is calmed, and my mind is quieted.

I miss the reward of the harvest. LOL. No, I don’t haul in bushels or barrels of bounty… maybe, a few tomatoes here a handful of peas there, but it’s my harvest, nonetheless. I work hard. I water daily. I sow the seeds and pull the weeds. So, I am always proud of the product.

Most of all, I miss the lessons. I don’t walk alone in my garden. I have a master teacher who shows me how unseen predators are working to destroy my seed before it sprouts and becomes what it was intended to become. I learned that I have to watch closely and protect my seed. I must rid my garden of predators because the seed is intended to produce good fruit, not just for myself but to be shared with others. I’ve got to put on my whole armor and fight daily because I know the enemy is working, but I refuse to let them snatch my seed and render it useless. The soil is good. The seed is good. And with diligence, the harvest will be good. I also learned that there is an underlying system of weeds that I have to watch out for.  Sometimes, the seed will take root and begin to sprout, but if I’m not careful, these weeds will spread and destroy the fruit. At one point, I spent a lot of time plucking weeds from the surface. My garden was pretty, but it wasn’t thriving. One day, I’d pluck weeds from one area of the garden only to have weeds pop up in a different area the very next day. My master teacher taught me to dig deeper. While I was plucking weeds from the surface, there was a whole system underneath choking out the roots and ultimately killing the fruit. While they didn’t always appear in the same area, the weeds were connected. I learned to get down on my knees and dig and pull up the whole system of weeds, not just the ones that cracked the surface of the garden. And yes, I did it with vengeance. There is no way that I am going to stand by and allow these weeds to rob me of what was promised in the seed. A good harvest was promised, and a good harvest is what I will reap.

Last year, I felt it was impossible to plant.  I had a terribly broken arm. And admittedly, it’s still giving me trouble. Sometimes, there’s still pain in the broken places, but I am going to plant anyway. I may have to find new tools and strategies, but I am going to plant! I am committed to bringing forth. So, I decided I’d better get started. Even though I used edging to keep my garden separated from my yard, the grass and weeds hopped over and crawled under the edging, and now my garden is filled with stuff that I never intended to be there. So, to prepare for planting, I have to do what may not seem logical. I’ve got to kill off all the stuff that is currently occupying the space. I’ve got to get rid of what is in order to get to what should be. Yes, it is green, and it blends in with everything that is around it, but it is not what was intended. That particular plot was set aside for something greater, and greater is what it is going to be. Yes, it is going to take some work to get rid of what is there, but I’m committed to doing what needs to be done to get to the promise of the seed. Some may think it is a bit early to start preparing for planting, but I don’t know what is beneath the surface, and I want to be ready when the time comes.

I’m just as excited about the preparation as I am about the harvest. What are you planting in this season?