Yesterday evening, as the sun was just beginning its arc of decent to the east, and the warmth of the day began to recede, the reality of all that was impacting our world at every rounded corner seemed to be closing in around my heart. I just stopped in front of my kitchen window, visualizing myself wrapping all the concern and anxiety up in a big hefty bag, and plomping it at the Foot of the Cross. Outloud, I said, ” Here you go Jesus, its far to much for me to handle.”
At that moment, I looked out my kitchen window and could see my little patio garden, which resides in various barrels, pots, and colorful five (5) gallon conservation buckets. I felt moved to go out, reconnect and sing to them, as I felt them calling me to tend to their various needs.
As I meandered from one plant to the next, I was gifted little surprises of more cherry, roma tomatoes, a few green bell and sweet hungarian peppers, Kentucky Green beans, beautiful deeep green and purple Malabar spinach, sweet basil, spearmint and strawberry leaves, all ripe and ready for picking.
As I gathered my harvest, that had been far more abundant that my summer crops, I could feel my shoulders relax and settle back into a normal position, instead of being drawn up to my ears like ear muffs.
Unpacking and inspecting my little evening treasures, I felt the corners of my mouth relax, and ever so slowly begin to curve upward. I realized, I was smiling. I was reconnecting with God’s Creation through my little harvest.
It was like I was really present in the task of seeing Our Creator in His Creation. Though I was tired, more due to allowing the stress of all the chaos, I felt the task at hand was infusing my spirit every so gentle.
Not wanting to rush, I continued to inspect, rinse, and put together a lovely salad.
As I began setting the aray of leaves to dry, I remembered my longevity spinach in my indoor Kratky Hydroponic Garden in my living room turned sunroom, which was in need of some pruning as well.
This is something very new for me, and has been so much fun for one of my granddaughters, who loves spearmint and spinach picked right of the vines, and appreciates she does not need to contend with bugs to retrieve them. Lol!
I could not get over how much spinach, spearmint and strawberry leaves had harvested. For to much for one said. So, I popped some in the dehydrator to begin my mixed dried green powder to mix in smoothies, soups and sauces as needed to increase the nutrients. Sounds unappetizing to some, but truly it does not change taste, and can stretch a meal as well.
While rinsing my strawberry leaves, I just marveled at the strawberry leaves, and the abundance of the harvest, with so many leaves still on all my strawberry plants, and some plants still growing strawberries 🍓.
Since there were so many extra leaves, instead of pruning one off the cluster of three leaves as is best, I was able to take many clusters of three without a care the fruit not having enough foliage to care for the growing morsels of sweetness.
Loading the salad spinner with the leaves, I couldn’t help but notice the set of three strawberry leaves resembling overgrown three-leaf clovers.
In my thoughts, I could hear, “Hello, Yes, I am right here beside you.” I felt my smile spread across my face, and tears welling up in my eyes, and whispered,
“The Father,
The Son and the
Holy Spirit!
I see You!
I Believe in You!
I Trust in You!”A
Amen ✝️
It was a beautiful moment and a reminder for me to remember Our God is not just sitting on some make shift Throne in Heaven waiting for us to come to Him.
He is in the thick of all our adversity, sorrow and chaos, gently calling us to stop, listen, feel and see Him for He is right beside us every step we take on our journey back to Him.
I encourage and challenge anyone who dared to read this to please make a point to be conscious about walking, not running through life, so you to can stop, see and observe the signs the Good Lord is giving you.
by Deanna G. DeBondt
October 26, 2023
10:52pm
Healing thru Song+ 