Daily Inspiration From the Garden.

The content for Daily Inspiration could be called my gardening blog. As my hands get dirty some life lessons were explained and inspired me.

Have a great day.

Hiding in Plain View

Daily Inspiration: Hiding in Plain view.
On a beautiful (cold) February morning we had just finished remarking how blessed we are to be living in this home. I got up and went into the kitchen and my sweetie says, "That was strange. I thought I saw a huge white sail, but then it just disappeared.Oh! There's another one!" Before I know it he is herding me upstairs to the balcony to look outside. Honestly I thought he lost his mind. But we were able to see whales shoot water from their blowhole three more times. It was truly amazing.
Later I was busily cutting away the dead foliage in my garden and uncovered a huge Salamander. A few moments later I became mesmerized by the interesting seed pods the Holly Hocks had left behind. The day was topped off when I spotted a Bald Eagle fishing the shoreline in front of our home.
So what's the point? I was given these wonderful gifts today but what does it have to do with you?

Daily Inspiration: Well the thing is weekends often consist of laundry, grocery shopping and getting caught up on bills. But if you LOOK today at the world around you you will see what is always there. Gifts, waiting to be discovered, if only you look.

Icicles

It is cold this morning, and as I look out to my backyard I see a huge blanket of icy snow where my flowers used to be. An occasional brown twig protrudes through, reluctant to give up the memories of the warmth only just overtaken by winter.
The recent days past were brilliant with reflected sunlight and fresh blue sky. So today as I look out I see the land through a multitude of icicles. Each produced by repeated warming followed by intense cold.
I am struck by the paradox of growth from destruction. The only way to form the crystal icicles is to warm the snow causing it to melt; only then can the run off refreeze and the icicle grow.
Daily Inspiration: Spiritual growth seems to occur after experiencing a painful period. It may be physically painful or emotionally traumatic, or the tug of anxiety when trying to make a decision. But you grow- out of burning and freezing, the highs and lows of life, you learn.
Remember no matter what happens you will grow and strengthen through the experience.

Truly Inspirational Gardeners

I just came back from a fabulous weekend with some new friends. We went to the other side of the Cascade Mountains for the weekend. The weather there is much dryer, most of the landscape consists of beautiful rock faces, dry grasses and the winding river with vegetation along its banks.

Many of the people there make their living from the land. That amazes me. The dirt is dry and chock full of rock. The water is scarce and must be pumped from the river, and when it isn't dry and hot it is freezing cold.

The faith it must take for these farmers to plant their orchards and believe that the trees will receive the correct amount of water, sun, and fertilization boggles my mind. I saw whole fields of trees that had died from previous freezing winters. I saw whole mountainsides black from summer fires that came right to the edge of the orchards.

But some of the best apples, peaches, pears, and nectarines come from this area. The farmers continue to replace dead orchards with sapling trees, pump water to the fields, heat the orchards in the winter, and battle the fires when they come in the summer. That is faith and inspiration. It is dedication and motivation. It is a powerful example of setting a goal and working toward it without stopping.

Daily Inspiration: Aspire to that never ending faith.

Daily Inspiration:Pruning

Summer is drawing to a close, and I had an opportunity to use this holiday weekend to clean up the summer flowers.

Many flowers have had their time and now lay on the ground still green, but obviously would not be blooming again. Others were developing mold on some of the stems. And then others were still standing upright with spent blooms and browning stems.

As I clipped and pruned I thought about the lessons I have learned over the summer. Some were motivating for a time. Others are still encouraging my growth. Then some enhanced lessons I had learned before. Some early lessons were now "moldy." It is time to let go of previous thoughts that no longer apply to my future. Those experiences that I return to and perhaps wish I could redo, or magically create a different outcome, I need to stop giving energy to. The lesson has been learned and it's time to move on.

The path leads ahead of me. I can see the way brightly lit with life giving sunlight. Turning around and looking back at my murky past only slows my progress.

Daily Inspiration: Shut the door behind you and be open to the lessons you learn today. Put your energy into new growth and prune away the dying branches that are weighing you down.

To Whom much is Given...

I finally got around to picking my strawberries. For the last two years they have been big and juicy, and I have given lots of them away to the food bank in town because there were more than I could eat.

This year I have been distracted by improving my flower beds and starting a business, so I neglected to water and care for the strawberry plants. I was very disappointed in the tiny berries trying to grow. The luscious berries didn't magically appear. They need regular water, weeding, and pest control.

The berries are a gift. Not every one in the world can grow their own strawberries. Not everyone can afford to buy fresh strawberries. These were a gift I took for granted and wasted.

I am blessed with so many gifts. I have healthy children and a man who loves me. I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I have a home with electricity, running water, hot water, and all the modern conveniences. Much has been given to me, and I receive more gifts all the time. My neighbor was just here and wants to make us dinner tonight.

It is my responsibility to not only receive my gifts, but also to nurture them. My gifts are for sharing with those around me and those in need.

My relationships require constant attention to keep them growing. I had the gift of a good man and a great marriage and didn't take care of it. Not only did I not take care of it, I took that relationship for granted; not focusing on the gifts, but on the challenges. I am not married now, and my children grew up in two separate households.

Daily Inspiration: Feed and water your relationships often. Be thankful of the gifts you have been given by acknowledging them, nourishing them, and sharing them. It may help to journal and write down your gifts. Then develop a plan to share them.

Daily Inspiration: Firm Foundation

I was weeding in a spot where I had placed weed block fabric and ground bark last year. The task seemed daunting, because the weeds were plentiful. I soon discovered that although there were many weeds I could pull most of them out easily with my hands. The foundation of the bed was strong, so although the flowers were surrounded by weeds, the majority had not been able to get through it.

I compared that to my life. My foundation is firm. I believe in being positive and living a moral life. I have had times when I struggled to keep my eyes on this good path, but although I can be surrounded by negative influences and tempted to take the easy path I haven't ever strayed too far.

Daily Inspiration: That means two things. First,continue to focus on the positive and good and you will be alright. And second, Be sure to lay a strong foundation for your children. Those teenage years into young adulthood are difficult times. It is difficult to see the path under all the weeds life tries to tangle us with. But with a firm foundation your children won't stray too far.

Black Clouds

Yesterday as I was weeding I noticed a huge wall of thick black clouds coming my way. The wind was picking up and the temperature took a nose dive. I assumed a downpour was soon to come. I picked up my tools, finished my barn chores, and headed to the cover of the deck to watch the storm come in.

As I watched, the front clouds spread out a bit and blew over. They were much lighter when the wind spread them out, but I saw the thickest, darkest sky on the horizon and knew the worst was yet to come. Another piece of this front approached, and as it did, it too was blown apart; so much that windows of blue sky and sunlight showed through.

To my astonishment no rain came from this system. The temperature certainly cooled, the sky became darker, and the wind was quite strong. But the catastrophic down poor I expected didn't happen.

Daily Inspiration: In life you can often see bad things coming. When you are unable to work you know financial difficulties will grow until you are unable to tolerate them. When one of your children seems to be taking the wrong path you are sure very hard days are to come. But the truth is, when you sit with life as it is today and focus on those things you are thankful for, the difficult events in life become tolerable. Events that could be devastating are challenging life lessons. The windows of blue sky and sunshine are usually gifts of special times and fabulous experiences.

The Strength of a Weed

As I cleared out the weeds from under my delphiniums I noticed an interesting survival technique. The strongest, largest rooted weeds were either wrapped around the roots of the delphinium or growing between two closely spaced rocks. That got me thinking. What do they know that I need to learn?

Daily Inspiration: It seems to me that when paired with a strong support system these weeds survived longer and grew stronger than others. Alone you can be very vulnerable, but when you share your fears and dreams with one or more of your close friends you become reinforced with their positive words and the knowledge that they believe in you. Being entwined to another person does not make you weak. Strangely, the opposite is true. You are stronger when you count on your friends.

Daily Inspiration: Mother's curse

I received a gift from a good friend when my horse suddenly died one night. Knowing I love flowers she gave me some "Forget me nots" and cautioned me that I might curse her as time goes on and I find them throughout my whole garden.

So as I am pulling them out from my rose bed on the other side of the house I remembered this story my neighbor shared with me.

Her mother gave some ground cover to both her and her sister. Ground cover plants are great because they are fast growing and will literally cover a whole area. Now, my neighbors sister calls the plant "Mothers Curse" because she is always having to pull it out as it spreads beyond the desired area. My neighbor on the other hand removes it and offers it to any new neighbors who have lots of area to protect from weeds.

Daily Inspiration: It's all in attitude. Today can be a curse or a gift. It just matters what you make of it.

Control

I have a scientific brain. It likes things to be strait and orderly.
As I was mowing the lawn it occurred to me that I was mowing the lawn that way, too. I mow in long strait rows so that when I am finished the lawn has long patterns of neat strait lines. I like my art on the wall that way also, rectangular and level. I hang inspirational quotes on my bulletin board level and in groups of little boxes according to category.
It occurred to me that this is all about me needing control.

Strait lines and boxes provide barriers. I want to box up pieces of my life so they don't invade or escape when I am not ready for them. It's not about science, it's about control. The truth is, I am not in control of anything but myself. Not the weeds in my garden, the chores that need to be done, or the people around me.

Daily Inspiration: Give yourself permission to open the box. Since you can't control it, you might as well enjoy it. Sit back and enjoy life rather than trying to control it.

Daily Inspiration: That's a Weed

I was so proud of all the nice spring growth in my garden and the early spring flowers. When my mom came over for mother's day I just had to show off my newly weeded beds.

"That's a weed! " she said pointing to a purple flowering plant.

"No, it's a wild flower," I said.

Daily Inspiration: Just as in other areas of life you get to decide what is a weed, and what is a flower. In any given situation you can react as if it is a weed and go about destroying it, or sit back, appreciate it's beauty and decide how it can contribute to your life.

Go find some wild flowers today.


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