rooted

Today I got to play in the soil.  There is a difference between soil and dirt.  Dirt is what you sweep off the floor, soil is part of creation and its creating habits.  My friend Venice taught me that.  The rhythms of planting and weeding are much like the rhyhms of life, there is a time for creating and a time for dying.  Fitting as Becky and I, and to a lesser extent our children, pulled weeds and planted plants.  There is some great responsibility for nurturing plants to life, pruning them so that they might be healthy, and pulling other plants that might endanger the ones that you intend to grow.

Scripture teaches us; "Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong." - Ephesians 3:17

We did not, however, begin this journey today.  There was a need to clean up what was left from last years harvest.  There was the tilling of the garden soil.  The adding of the compost.  There is a lot that goes into planting season than just putting hands in soil.  Everything that was accomplished today was because of what was previously sought after, from composting vegetables from last years garden, to a proper weed barrier being laid down, from collecting rainwater to purchasing the tools necessary for garden work to be done.  All of it a process, all of it a journey.  The hoped-for outcome, roots to dig and spread so that life might bring forth life.  Roots don't just happen because we want them, this garden is much like a faith journey, it takes tending to with care and intentionality for seeing to the dangers of the weeds that will try and strangle them out.  Today it was good to have our hands in soil and someday soon we will be reaping the harvest of work done today.