I can't remember a summer that was as hot and stormy as this one, and that's saying a lot seeing as I'm coming up on my 75th birthday next week. My heart goes out to people who have gardens in their yards, or in containers on their porch, and especially to the local farmers who are working hard to keep their crops growing and healthy. With each heat wave and each storm, the need to water, weed, and pray gets more and more important. It's not like they can just give up and let the vegetables take care of themselves. They created the gardens, and it's there responsibility to maintain and care for them.
The older I get, the more this analogy speaks to not only our outer gardens, but our inner gardens as well. When our inner wells run dry, when the heat of anger, frustration, challenges, and the state of the world wear us out, we need to find a way to water our spirits and cool down. No rational decision or action can take place if we don't. We need to weed out the negativity that influences our lives and feed only those beliefs that nourish us. The stronger we get in body, mind, and spirit, the stronger our lives, our community, and our world will be.
Let's face it: there are plenty of storms ahead for all of us this year. It's not only the weather outside, but the weather inside that will challenge us in the coming months. There is no place for violence, hatred, or looking down and excluding others. These are the weeds of humanity that need to be pulled. In their place, let us feed ourselves with love, kindness, compassion, service, and responsibility. Above all, let's all pray, in whatever way and in whatever tradition works for you, that what we harvest this fall will be the best, the healthiest, and the most nutritious life we can grow. It's not only for us that we plant and tend this garden, it is for our children, our grandchildren, and the generations to come. What we sow today will be their harvest tomorrow.
And so it is.
