Daffodils and Heart-thoughts

I don’t know how they got there. A clump of yellow daffodils blooming well before the others in our yard. Growing on the edge of the field where neither of us planted any, in the middle of piles of dead leaves and tangled brush.

But they made me smile, reminding me of a deeper story.

Sometimes when you think there’s nothing left,

When you think all is dead and crumbled,

When all is dried up and tangled and silent,

When it looks as though nothing good can come from the pile of the past,

Something beautiful grows from within it, reaches up to the sun, and blossoms.

When you least expect it.

Baking from the Garden: A Healthy Zucchini Bread Recipe

Last night, as a delicious summer thunderstorm approached from the west, A. and I decided to bake up a storm inside (and it was delicious, too). The zucchini bread turned out so well I decided to share it on here. For all those fellow health nuts health-concious individuals...this recipe is a great alternative to the ones that have more sugar than flour! And as Rachael Ray would say, it's yum-o!!

(so I have to be honest here: those amazing zucchinis in the picture? Not from my garden, but graciously shared by a better gardener than myself!)

Zucchini Bread

2 eggs
¾ c honey (I use ½ cup and then add just a bit of sucanat/sugar)
½ c olive oil (I use coconut oil)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground ginger (oops, we didn’t have any)
¼ tsp cinnamon (didn’t measure; I’m sure I used much more!)
1/3 tsp of vanilla (same as above)
1 medium zucchini squash, grated
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

Beat eggs, honey, and oil together. Mix in rest of ingredient, adding flour last. The zucchini should be about 1 ½ cups, loosely packed. Can also add nuts if you wish. Bake in a greased loaf pan for 1 hour at 350* F.

From Healthy Choices: No sugar. No white flour. No artificial anything. Authors Marvin and Miriam Wengerd of Keepers at Home Magazine

Of Mums and Mistakes

My mums are growing.

This may seem a very ordinary fact, but it’s actually quite the contrary.

Being the trial and error novice gardener that I am, I’ve committed many gardening faux pas in the past (and present!).

Last year, I bought a pot of chrysanthemums in the late summer, planted them in a chipped pot from my mom, and enjoyed their vibrant beauty all fall. Knowing they were perennial and could come up the following year if they survived the winter, I happily carried the pot into the garage.
My well-meaning mind thought that this would keep them from freezing temperatures—a good thing, no?

Except that it’s dark in the garage. And there’s no rain or snow (i.e. water, which all plants need, of course).

So when spring was on its way this year, I excitedly dragged out the pot--utterly oblivious to my mishap--and proudly placed the container of brittle, brown stems on our deck.

My friends laughed. And proceeded to tell me all the reasons the mums were dead and would not grow again this year.

I stuck up for the poor dead dry flowers and staunchly defended them, saying I was sure that new growth would come. (Though I secretly had my doubts.)

Halfheartedly, I kept the pot on the deck. Day after day we had rain, rain and more rain—perhaps the benevolent sky was making up for my lack of care throughout the winter. I cut the dead stems away from the roots. And waited. Unsure of what to expect.

Until the other day when I saw three new shoots of green. Tiny mum leaves unfolding to bask in the sunlight. You have to look closely, but there is growth.

And I am absolutely delighted.

I love that the cycles and seasons of nature so often can reflect the cycles and season in our own lives. They become symbols of hope, joy, resilience. Even Jesus used them as examples and parables (like the lilies of the field-- Matthew 6:28).

The mums, too, hold meaning for me. By reminding me that God uses our mistakes—they are not beyond His power. The darkness, the dryness, the dead areas of our lives can be overcome. Despite doubt—and drought!—He can bring growth...and maybe not only despite them, but because of them. We may have to look closely….and it may not be in the timing we’d like…but it will come.

Because this is the God who knows all about making things new.

And bringing life from death.

Signs of Spring

As I was walking into the library to write this very post, I almost missed them.

The quaint purple violets, the cheerful daffodils, and the charming hyacinths.

Lovely signs of spring.

How ironic that as I planned to post pictures of the signs of springtime in my backyard, I almost missed these signs of spring right in front of me!

Thankfully, I stopped to enjoy the moment—to drink in the beauty, as Anne of Green Gables would say.

I wonder how often I miss the figurative signs of springtime in my own life. The times when God brings blossoms from the dirt, sunshine after darkness, and rainbows after storms. Am I too busy to notice because I’m still focused on the dirt, the darkness, or the storm? Or am I missing the signs of growth and beauty because they don’t look quite the way I expected?

Something to think about.

For now, I’m looking up. Looking around. And seeing chubby robins scavenging in the grass. Daffodils peeking out of their golden bonnets. Feeling warm, fresh breezes. Hearing joyful melodies from the sparrows in the morning.

Mmmm. Springtime is here, my friends.

And life is beautiful.

The joys of gardening

If you would be happy your whole life long, become a gardener.

~Chinese Proverb

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.

~Mirabel Osler

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"