Merry Month of May

To all of my women friends and colleagues,  

Have a merry month of May!

Mothers, sisters and daughters -- you are gifted treasures. 

Celebrate this gifted season of womanhood. 

Joy is contagious!

I was reading a story about two moms and their children hiking through an old garden. As they climbed through the overgrown paths in the early morning mist, they tried to keep their eager children close. A child’s voice yelled as they came towards the end of the path, "Look! There's a stream. And look at that tree!” As the children rushed ahead to get a closer look, the early morning sunlight was breaking through the thick branches of the tree, making it appear even more grand. Its deeply etched roots and thick storied bark let them all know that this was not an ordinary tree. This tree had lived through many seasons of life yet still stood strong.  With pure joy, some of the children rested under its majestic limbs while others started climbing to seek new horizons.  It was indeed a 'treasure tree.' 

We often forget during our busy days to look up and see the simple pleasures and joyous discoveries around us.  On a recent late afternoon walk, I ran into my friend Paul.  We had not seen each other in a while so we began to share about our lives and our families.  During our conversation, I told Paul that I was working on a piece about the simplicity of joy, and about finding joy in all things. “How easy it is for us to forget or get lost in all the noise and distractions around us!” said Paul.  “We should just stop for a moment and observe the many joyous gifts around us. I mean, just look at this sunset!” We paused and took in the unique colors of the sunset, its wispy blues and rusty yellows, and contemplated the fact that each night is a different painting made expressly for our joy.

So often we take these gifts for granted. Slow down and allow the childlike discoveries of our surroundings to fill our hearts with joy. The more we allow joy to be part of our daily lives, the more joy is contagious. Pass on the gift of joy to others!

How to Be a Green Leaf

Longer days are an invitation to get outside. All those new buds make me brim with anticipation and excitement for more growth ahead.

Practice being a green leaf by taking part in nature. Get outside -- whether you live in the city, by the coast or in the country, take a walk outside. Make it longer than usual or try a new route just to heighten your senses. Even better, invite a friend.

Marvel at the beauty of nature -- its cycles and the evolving color palette throughout the day and throughout this month.

This is a great time to plant some seeds and watch them grow! Spring is in the air, green leaf! Opportunities are there for the taking!

Be A Green Leaf in Drought

There are so many joys I find in gardening: the discovery of life in a new blossom, the first burst of rose buds in the spring, and that grand tree, dormant for winter, finally stretches and releases fresh green leaves. The doves coo in the quiet dawn mornings as the butterflies practice the choreography of the season.

I often write about gardening because it teaches me so much about life.  Most of all, it has taught me to slow down the day and avoid list-making in order to truly take in the moments that nature created for us to enjoy.

Because of my love for gardening,  I have become fascinated with garden stories and metaphors.  Many refer to the garden for cultural significance while others look to the garden for spiritual understanding.

During a recent trip to Asia, I became fascinated with the green leaf. Its design was on clothing, jewelry and notebooks. It was everywhere— an icon of new life, good luck and good health.  

When I returned home, I came across a book, Green Leaf in Drought by Isobel Kuhn, a true story about the lives of missionaries who traveled in the most eastern part of China during the early 1950s. It documented their lives and the many trials they faced trying to be "green leaves" during many seasons of drought, loss and sadness.  The story of their lives touched my heart.

We all go through droughts such as loss, uncertainty and sadness during the seasons of life and yet, through these challenging times, there is always hope for newness.

How To Be a Green Leaf in Drought

- Find a time in your day to refill yourself with something you enjoy.

- Play some music, sketch, take a walk, read, putter in the garden, try a new recipe or set some time aside to just sit, be still and breathe.

- Once you refill the soil of your soul, you will discover the newness of life that gives you strength to continue to shine. You will have the strength to continue to grow through all seasons. You are a green leaf.

- Plant a seed of encouragement to help others who may be going through a drought.

Take A Break!

As we rush through our everyday busyness of life, I find myself revisiting and reflecting upon my own "mantra" to stop, breathe and slow down to truly capture the gifted moments. 

With change being a constant and time moving more quickly than ever, I am reminded that I must give myself permission to turn everything off and to just enjoy the experience, my surroundings, and the quiet with no clicks of the camera, streaming of Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook conversations. 

Ahhh... an experience break...it is simple, free and right here, right now...Enjoy! I love looking at these recent photos of a trip to Europe and basking in these moments!

Sowing Seeds

This weekend in my garden, I found myself welcoming in the burst of spring. The birds and butterflies danced through the flowers and trees, while taking a break, here and there, for some nutriment from seasonal delights.  As I worked my way through the garden – pruning, feeding, spraying and cleaning out some of the beds – during each stop at a different section of the garden, I found myself thinking about the phrase, “sowing seeds.” I was preparing a garden bed for some new small plants—plants that I would feed, water and nurture to help them blossom and flourish to their greatest capacity. I thought about how the phrase is used with so many contexts in our lives, from gardening, of course, to biblical scriptures, business investing and ways to describe human interaction with marriage, family and friends.

As I continued to work my way through my garden chores feeling a little thirsty from the physical exercise of trimming, I started to think that this simple sounding phrase of sowing seeds is really about all aspects of life.  I realized that when one is sowing seeds, one must be willing to have patience, which we learn from the seasons of the garden and nature’s way—nothing is the same and the weather is often unpredictable.

We must be willing to trust our instinct and believe in what we are doing.  Whether it is in a relationship, a job or a hobby, we must be willing to spend the time to nurture and grow that relationship or idea with love and compassion in order to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. And like the seasons of the garden, we must be willing to have peace in understanding that our lives, ideas and situations are always changing.

So as I dusted off the dirt, which I usually find myself in from head to toe after a day in garden, I looked around with such joy and a thankful heart for all that God has created for us to enjoy.

I realize that if we are willing to spend the time to sow seeds with patience, trust, peace, love and compassion, our journey through life will be a lot more bountiful and full of garden surprises…