Gardener of My Soul

As I watered my plants and waited for a dear soul friend to come visit me this morning, I thought of the many different ways in which we garden...

Sometimes we garden in our yards...

Sometimes we tend the garden of other people's hearts... This friend I awaited, has done this for me many times throughout the last few years...

But sometimes we are gardeners to our own souls...We tug and pull out the weeds of what no longer serves us, and create room for our dreams to take root and for our souls to grow...

Over cups of tea, my friend and I shared experiences from our meditation and yoga practices, which we do from time to time. I described an ability to plug into bliss very deeply in my sitting practice, but conversely mourned all I had lost in my yoga practice, lamenting that in many ways, I felt like a raw beginner.

She wisely noted, that it did not matter - for it shed light on what was ultimately important - the essence of the practice - and the poses that were now elusive disclosed what is truly essential and what is not... And this, coming from someone whose own practice has always been the embodiment of her deep connection to the Divine... She too, has had to let go of much in her life, only to gain much richer gifts in return...

We spoke of my impending surgery as a turning point of sorts, and my dear friend very much believes it will make all the difference in my life. And whether or not I am able to see this very clearly right now, I do believe her, because she has always channeled insights from the Divine for me...

My friend is a master gardener, and we exchanged gifts. I gave her a few books of meditations on gardening as a spiritual practice. And she gave me books to nourish the garden of my soul, during recovery, in addition to a card, with gardening motifs, and this quote from one of her favorite authors:

"Help us to be
Ever faithful gardeners
of the Spirit,
Who knows that without darkness
Nothing comes to birth,
And without light
Nothing flowers."
~ May Sarton

I rose on this first day of July, stepping into a new month; it is also a day of a partial solar eclipse, symbolic of change and inviting transformation, and after meditation, I went out into my garden to water. I fed my thirsty plants, as I also seek to satiate my own thirsty soul, waiting to change, and patiently waiting for subsequent recovery as well...

I will garden my soul now, and give thanks for the gifts that I have received in my life, and the presence of this friend who reminded me to give voice to my gratitude, and to know that hope and joy are equally present in the garden of my life...

"Kind hearts are the gardens,
Kind thoughts are the roots,
Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deeds are the fruits.
Take care of your garden
And keep out the weeds.
Fill it with sunshine,
Kind words and kind deeds."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow