Mixed Blessings…
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV
The secret of happiness is to count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles.
William Penn
Much of gardening in the spring is spent in joyful anticipation of choosing and planting summer flowers and vegetable garden plants. Then there’s the pleasure of preparing the soil, deciding just where each plant should go, and tenderly and carefully transplanting new plants into their new home. It’s so much fun to work in the soil with young plants and see a container or raised bed fill with baby plants and some seeds too. So, it’s with mixed feelings when I finish the last of transplanting young plants and planting seeds.
The next phase of the garden is such a mixed blessing. First and foremost, I absolutely love going out each day to see how plants are growing and thriving. Is there a new blossom on a tomato plant? Wow, all those flowers are opening now! Such beauty and happiness!
Yet, at the same time, gardening moves into the maintenance phase which has some rather tedious or even unpleasant tasks. This is the time when it’s necessary to remove spent blossoms from decorative plants because I want more blossoms to come. Then there’s the ongoing process of searching for and removing weeds or unwanted garden pests. Ughh…so gross to have to deal with squash bugs!!! Fertilizing bi-weekly can take up to two hours or more for all my plants. Then there’s extra watering on extremely hot days. And why, oh why, does it always seem to be quite hot or “misquito-ee” when I’m out there working in the garden?
Yet, I wouldn’t choose to have someone else care for my garden. There’s something satisfying about knowing that I’ve looked after each of my precious plants, savoring their beauty and taking care of their needs. Perhaps, in a much more low key way, a bit like lovingly raising children. Great delight overall, but definitely not always easy or fun…yet an incredible season of joy and love.
My advice to me, and to you, is that when you are doing in the midst of a lovely venture which has parts that are not always easy, focus on the blessing of the entirety. Life is about the beautiful messy journey, not just the destination. Choose joy!