Once upon a time, most Americans grew their own herbs, vegetables and flowers. Nowadays, not so much. Isn’t it easier to just go to Wal Mart and bypass all that trouble? That’s what I believed for a long time, but about 10 years ago, I got my hands in the dirt to garden for the first time. It’s a love story y’all…

…complete with ups & downs, joys & frustrations, beauty & ugliness — and everything in between which has made it so very satisfying! I mean — can we really know the good without the bad? It all makes for one  FULL life.

I witness the miracle of life from a dead seed. I care for tender little seedlings and watch them grow into strong, beautiful plants with actual groceries hanging on them.

I taste the incomparable goodness of freshly picked fruit.

I feel the good ache in my bones from physical work — which makes me rest well.

I watch things die, and there see the possibility of more life produced in their seed and in the fertility they put back into the soil.

 It all speaks so deeply to my heart and soul about our Creator and His ways that I can’t imagine life without growing something — even if only one plant. Out of all of my gardening experience over the past decade, the one thing I’ve harvested that has sustained me more than anything else — is hope. Nothing symbolizes hope as much as a teeny weensy seed can.

hollyhock seed

Crazy beautiful hollyhock

The relationship between me and gardening was slow going. I knew next to nothing. The only way I was going to learn was to ask lots of questions and make lots of mistakes. I was especially thankful for people who understood that some of us are starting from ground zero.

When something is presented in such a complex way that it makes us feel as though we’re about to perform open heart surgery, we tend to throw out the prospect of even trying. So my approach is to simplify all things. Amen. = )

In this video, I show the simple way I gather seed to save & share.

In life, faith & art ~ Jamie