The Garden

I couldn't concentrate on work at all yesterday because of Krista's uncle. It looks like he will be gone by week's end, so K and her mom are flying down for the funeral on Friday.

Since I couldn't do much that was useful in the way of work, I decided to do some yard work to calm myself and keep things at peace. I like doing yardwork now that I'm older (hated it passionately as a kid, of course). Yesterday I was working on turning a corner of our yard into a dalia garden, so I was tilling, mixing good soil into the hard clay of our yard.

I liked it because I remembered that when a kernel of wheat dies and falls to the ground it begins to truly live. I liked it because I can trust that in time we who sow in tears will see tiny saplings of joy for every tear that falls to the earth. I liked it because I thought of the good seed, and how one tiny plant reaches out and multiplies itself, that the combination of good soil and the word of the Lord changes and forms the world.

And at the end of the day I liked that I could stand back and see my work, that it was measurable and clear and it was good, and it was a work that led to life, and in time there will be flowers because of a few hours' of mild work in perfect sunshine.