Build it, Bless it, and Believe

It started with a dream of building a pond to grow water lilies.
The expectation is to have fish, however, this was not my first intent.
I had been building my garden for about six years before we put in the pond.
I had built up the yard with truck loads of dirt.
A wall was built to hold the dirt in place and stop erosion.
A patio was built to blend and level the yard with the deck.
My goal had always been to build a beautiful habitat for relaxation,
and to hopefully attract some wildlife to our yard.
The miniature garden tub you see above was built by me.
It was more difficult to make than I expected.
Thankfully it turned out pretty well, and it still holds strong.

My daughter named these fish Prince, Purple Rain, and Thunder.
They were very small when the pond became their home.
They grew fast throughout the summer.
Only one made it through the winter to live another summer.
The dragonflies and frogs arrived soon after.

The birds arrived in the beginning. 
Here a robin stands guard while another robin takes a bath.
Soon the robins were crowded out by other birds.
The size of the water spout determines which birds will bathe.

The bird you see below surveys the pond and builds up courage to enter the bowl.
The water hyacinth helps shield the fish and filters the water.
One summer I brought in water hyacinth from a local garden center.
Five days later the pond begins to fill with fish.
There must have been fish eggs hiding in the hyacinth.
I ended up with ten or eleven unexpected fish guests that summer.

The water lilies have been the real heart and soul of our pond.
In the beginning I tried many different types and colors.
We have had yellow, white, peach and pink.
Pictured below is a tropical water lily that is like an annual.
It cannot survive our winters and will not come back.
I had this one only one summer.
Currently the pink Colorado is the sole survivor.
It has been an epic survivor and blooms prolifically every summer.

My pond has been a real blessing for me. I can see it from my kitchen window.
It has been worth every cent I have spent on it.
There are some days when the garden seems quite, and I will go out and sit.
If I am patient and sit quietly, I begin to see the life around.
There are peak hours and slow hours. There is a natural ebb and flow to life.
The garden has helped me to believe that impossible things can be made possible
with work, imagination, and faith.
The garden and pond have changed over the years.
In the beginning it was almost an unhealthy obsession.
Time, age, and family circumstances has tempered my obsession. 
It was largely ignored a few summers, and partly tended a few.
The garden has been patient with me and has taught me patience.
Everything takes times, and mother nature can survive neglect.
She is constantly reinventing the garden, 
Sometimes to my delight, and other times to my chagrin.
Still to this day it is a work in progress.
I am already beginning to think about what
I might do early spring to change things up a bit.

It is important to have goals. 
It is also important to be realistic with our expectations,
and most importantly to always be aware of our priorities and promises.