So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28-29) 

Some of us are what you call “nitpickers”, or, critical of minor things that most would not find important. While it is not a complimentary label, we know it’s used figuratively to refer to someone who over-scrutinizes details. I do not like this about myself. As I am growing older, though, I really do not mind being criticized, because I can rest in knowing that at the end of the day, it is my Savior’s opinion which ultimately matters. But as a yard and garden lover, I just cannot let go of wanting my gardens to be pleasing to others. Therefore, I am my own worst critic — picking out the flaws and fussing about them; complaining about not having time nor energy to get it done right; and of course, blaming anybody else for whatever else I can. Having said all that, I will make my point. There is no denying life (and gardens) can get pretty tangled — so tangled, in fact, that we fail to see what IS nicely aligned.

From my clothesline, I turned to walk back toward the house where our sunroom and the intended landscaping around it, are most visible. I caught my breath at the burst of yellow that has popped out recently. It kinda slipped up on me; mostly because I’ve been looking through my inside window into the midst of the flower/tree/weed/vine patch we call the landscaping. From there, I only saw all the work that needs to be done. (So crowded and full of overgrowth, that I may have run the mower just a little ways into the front of it all, just a few days ago.) However, as I turned, on that laundry day, from the back of the lawn, I was pleased to see the ever-thriving Stella D’Oro lilies in full bloom, from one end of the landscaping to the other. I refused to go closer for fear my old nitpicking habit would overcome me.

In life, or in gardens, there is always work to do — especially on myself. As long as I am breathing air, there will be things to learn, to improve, and to share. I have discovered many lessons as I putter around in my gardening — lessons the great Master Gardener placed….well, placed anywhere His willing children will be able to learn. For me it is in the miracle of a resurrected seed, an unfolding bud, the parenting of bluebirds, and in every turn of the spade. The Stellas were reminding me to look at the big picture and enjoy the beauty; to avoid getting bogged down in the details that can be worked out in time, with His help. Those weeds will be there for someone else to contend with after I am gone. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18b) While I am here, I just want to share the flowers, whether in the form of encouraging words, time spent, a favor done, or a literal bloom on a stem. It depends on what God has given us to share.

If you look closely at my flowers outside the sunroom, you will also find weeds, vines, tree suckers, over zealous black-eyed Susans, and that hateful grass. But don’t miss the lovely purple garden geranium in the midst of the tangles. Stella D’Oro seems to be shining her light so I can enjoy the beauty of her geranium friend, as well as inspiring me to keep on trying, and to be less tangled up in nitpicking.

I could pick at all the reasons my landscaping and gardens have suffered, but for every negative there is a positive. The rain hindered, but the Stellas thrive in it. My knee replacement hindered, but it gave me time to finish a writing project. Last year’s wayward grass seeds that fell into the flowerbeds are a nuisance, but the lawn is thick and green. The weeds are rough, but they inspire me to stretch my back and exercise my mind as my hands work. There is a strange satisfaction found as one works her way through the tangles to find the beauty in its midst.

Now, I have a bit of news! Several things I’ve mentioned in today’s blog about lessons in gardening, are explored in more detail in “Gifts From the Garden Path: Encouragement Through Our Seasons”. This little book of encouragement in softcover, is available through the online bookstore of my publisher, WestBow Press (https://www.westbowpress.com/en/bookstore.). It can be searched by author’s name, Patricia J. Ward, or the ISBN 9798385047482. The eBook will be available around June 9. To say I am grateful to God for His guidance through this adventure, is an understatement. I pray I will never run completely out of gardening days, but my 71-year-old body says it’s ready for me to do more writing and less digging. I have a few writing projects on the back burner, so I suppose I shall buckle down and focus on one at a time, for as long as the Lord is willing.

Have a wonderful week, taking in the big picture, and giving yourself time for the details to untangle. Have a cup of coffee; and remember, life is too short to skip the cream.