Peace In the Garden

I think I learned my love of gardening from my grandmother. I remember a big vegetable garden behind her house, with cherry tomatoes just begging to be popped into my mouth. I only have vague recollections of flowers that she might have grown. I do know that whenever I smell phlox or evening stock, my mind goes directly to her, so she must have grown them there.

So you can probably understand why my favorite old time hymn is In the Garden, because it was Grandma's favorite. Here's Brad Paisley singing this traditional hymn.

The lyrics starts out by saying "I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses". I'd bet that most gardeners have done the same.

Whether or not you are a religious person, there is definitely peace to be found in the garden.

You can start with your mind spinning, but spend a little time amongst the flowers and you'll find yourself settling down. Things become clearer, your pulse slows and the furrows on your brow will relax.

I can't even begin to tell you how many solutions I have found amongst the flowers, and how many troubles I have buried in the dirt.

 Even now I am sitting on the patio with my laptop, with my little kingdom of garden about me. I'll write for a while, then just sit and stare. Butterflies come and go, and the hummingbirds come by for the last sip of the day. I can just feel my blood pressure going down.

So next time you feel overwhelmed at the amount of work you need to do in your garden, I want you to think instead about the peace it will bring you. At the end of the day, as you wash the sweat from your brow and the dirt from your hands, you'll find your troubles have also been washed down the drain.