If Mars had dock weed...
"You won't ever win the war of the weeds by trying to pull them all up."
When we first moved to the little farm in April of 2006, it looked a wee bit like the pictures I've seen of the planet Mars... If Mars had dock weed and bull thistle. I was so eager to plant my first garden that I bought garden plants before I bought toilet paper for the new place. I purchased my tiller, some two hundred water hoses and I was off. Off to total defeat. The rocky, hard ground finally relented under my furious tilling but the plants didn't survive in the clay mess I managed to make with my 200 water hoses. What did survive, no, thrive, was every weed known to man and maybe a few new varieties. Futile hours were spent snatching up those weeds in my small garden plot while the other 31.75 acres turned into a snake infested jungle of weediness. The dream was not so dreamy and I was still buying tomatoes and cucumbers at Publix. While I furiously pulled weeds like playing an ancient version of the game 'Whack a Mole', I could almost hear the ground whisper to me, "You won't ever win the war of the weeds by trying to pull them all up." I will admit that I took this message in my spirit through the 'Poor Little Old Me" channel. I was one hard headed, but negative farmer girl until the day I heard the other part of the message.
"Add the good stuff. The only way to overcome the bad stuff is to get focused on the good stuff."
"You make beautiful things out of the dust." -Gungor
All of my resources had been focused on what I could see before me: weeds and barren soil. I was hell bent and determined to make both of those do what I needed them to do to produce a bountiful garden. And that, my friends, was never going to happen. I switched gears when I received the other part of the message from the farm and started bringing in the good stuff. I sought out and dumped piles and piles of good stuff on the ground and then watched it turn into good soil over time. Good soil grows good things. That'll preach!
Every day, I am grateful for the bounty of the restored plots and every day I seek out those ever present rough and rocky patches that need a dose of good stuff. It's a journey, but oh, such a beautiful one.
Peace and love to all from the farm today,
~L
Every day, I am grateful for the bounty of the restored plots and every day I seek out those ever present rough and rocky patches that need a dose of good stuff. It's a journey, but oh, such a beautiful one.
Peace and love to all from the farm today,
~L
Matthew 13:18-23
“Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”
“Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”
