The Miracle of Returns

I am not a great gardener. I’d like to think I am, but my skills and attention span are limited. Luckily, I have girlfriends who absolutely love to dig in the dirt, and each year they inspire me to add at least one new plant to my gardens. I always try to add a perennial, something that should come back each year. And therein lies the joy of gardening for me. I love to see what returns.

As soon as the first warm breeze begins to stir in early spring I start walking the grounds, studying each area of potential growth. I stoop and crawl on my hands and knees, brushing leaves aside looking for signs of life. I find myself wondering how it must feel to be swallowed up in the earth for months, waiting for just the right time to start that journey upward. The patience I’d have to have as I worked my way to the surface. The struggle of pushing and shoving through the dirt. And then, how delightful it must be to finally feel the warmth of the sun. What a process! I think that this is truly one of God’s greatest miracles.

Images from top to bottom:
1. Bluebells from Pattie

2. Yellow Wood Poppies from Pattie

3. Astilbe from Mom

4. Favorite Wood Fern

5. Variegated Irises for Oma

6. My First Sign of Spring – Lenton Roses