Long before I had my crisis of faith I set out to create a heaven in my own backyard.
The events in my life kept me home-bound more often than I might have otherwise been inclined.
I’ve environmentally inherited a love of nature, and it is probably also written within my genes. The idea of building a garden year after year appealed to me. I could not afford to have someone else put it in for me all at once, so I set out to put it in myself slowly over time, and I paid incrementally for a few construction projects in the first few years. However, most projects we did ourselves.
The garden outside my kitchen window is my idea of what heaven should be like. A place where birds are welcomed and an abundance of greenery and flowers can flourish.
Skunks, raccoons, squirrels, and groundhogs find their way into my garden and sometimes they try to break my peaceful solace.
The feral cats, that want to make my covered deck their personal condo, have been pushed out to the edges of my garden. A power-washing and new seat cushions have restored my human domain, at least for the next couple of months while I’m on summer vacation.
When I sit outside and focus on the color, beauty, and magnificence of all the textures, shapes, and over-flowing exuberance of life, I can find peace and comfort in my mind. The worries of the world can be pushed out to the edges to keep company with the feral cats.
The songs, whistles, squeaks, and buzzing of the animals keep me in the present, experiencing the heavenly good of the here and now in my own backyard. An occasional squawk or unknown sound reminds me to be alert to changing conditions.
I’m inside right now writing this because the blessing of rain is nourishing my garden today.
ie
movingforwardslowly 