The utopia
of a Spring garden—its newness and bloom surprises—is quickly followed by the
Summer months of July and August. The garden grows double-time, basking in the
vitamins from the sun and warm weather. This is the season that puts me to the
test. Longer and more frequent days are are required in the garden, trying to
stay ahead of the growth, the bugs and other challenges. The peak of summer
gardening is all about endurance.
I often
find myself asking, “Can I ever get ahead of the upkeep and care?” And, the
funny thing is, after a long week of labor in the garden, I am always rewarded. When I sit in my favorite spot over looking the
garden at dusk, I relax and take in all of the joy it brings me. I know that it
is never fully complete or finished. I accept that it is a work in progress. Actually,
I love that it’s always a work in progress. Isn’t it all? The splashes of colorful
flowers dotted across he varying hues of green are a backdrop for a very
special kind of dance where humming birds and butterflies flow to the rhythm of
the gentle breeze. And it’s never the
same performance twice.
We must
all endure through seasons of extra work, some emotional or physical strain,
and longer hours at different times in our lives. But no two days are the same.
Each day is a new performance in the greatest work-in-progress of all: life.
As we
endure through the peak summer months of a garden in full abundance, we welcome
in the cooler and shorter days of the autumn season. In these periods of rest,
we rebuild, prepare and find the strength to endure through all that is put in
front of us -- every day and in every season.
