I am Rich                                                                                             9 August 2015

In the Garden this morning I realize that I am rich—I carefully tend day lilies given by friends from their surpluses; gladiolas, rain lilies, heliconias and other plants have been given, too.  I sip hot coffee kept warm by a pretty green and purple cup-cozy knitted for me by my lovely daughter, and gaze at pink and red roses that remind me of those recently sent by my loving son in honor of my birthday.

An engraved garden sign has a poem about God; my dearest friend gave that to me, as well as the wonderful red bud tree beside the herb garden.  Wind chimes given long ago by my parents sway softly, their tiny tinkling a kiss to my dad now in heaven.  Several years ago my daughter and her friend gave me a gray and turquoise lovebird who shares the morning space in a travel cage beside me, listening to the early morning songs of wild birds around us.

I see the richness of other gifts around me in the Garden: a cultivating tool in my gloved hand from my mom; the compost cage in the corner from my sister; a well-maintained lawn and large bird-feeder, gifts from my husband.  I am blessed!

But my richness doesn’t come from all of these wonderful things.  I am rich because I have been given family, friends, children, husband.  These good people know me, and yet they still love me, still remember how much gardening means to me.  And I am rich because the love of these individuals has been provided over a lifetime by an even more loving God, Who is the supreme Gardener—giver of life, tender of souls, provider of all that we truly need to thrive in joy and peace.

“I bless the Lord: O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and with majesty and light! You stretched out the starry curtain of the heavens… {You} send rain upon the mountains and fill the earth with fruit. The tender grass grows up at {Your} command to feed the cattle, and there are fruit trees, vegetables, and grain for man to cultivate, and wine to make him glad, and olive oil as lotion for his skin, and bread to give him strength. O Lord, what a variety you have made! And in wisdom you have made them all! The earth is full of your riches.” 

Psalm 104 verses 1,2, 13, 14, and 24 from the Living Bible