Visiting Over the Garden Fence

Posted on by Michele Morin

Here on this country hill, I see my neighbors from a distance.  The stillness and solitude are a bonus, but there are times when I think it would be nice to look up from my weeding and see a friendly face over the garden fence, to compare notes on ripening tomatoes and Japanese beetles, and to share encouraging stories that come from living close to the ground.

Today, I’m leaning over the garden fence — in a virtual way — with my friend, Sarah Geringer.  She’s a writer and a blogger who is gathering a community of gardeners at her place this month, and she has asked me three questions about my life in the bean patch:

  1.  What is your favorite kind of gardening (flower, vegetable, container, etc.) and why?

  2. What spiritual lessons has God taught you through gardening?

  3. In this year’s gardening season, what challenges do you face and how do they correlate with your faith?

Capture

Grab your gardening gloves and hunker down with us over at Sarah’s place as we ponder a new season of seed planting and hope —  and as we marvel at the ordinary miracle of new life that happens when we’re Meeting God in the Garden.

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I’ve reviewed Sarah’s book, Newness of Life here at Living Our Days, and you’ll also want to check out her blog as she continues to interview other gardeners as part of her series.

May you find that you also meet God in the garden as you enjoy spring beauty and follow the path of joy back to a loving and all-wise Creator.

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

39 thoughts on “Visiting Over the Garden Fence”

  3. Dear Michele,
    I am just getting to “know” Sarah, and I’m loving her new series on meeting God in the garden. So glad that you are sharing there! Heading over there now to read your good words!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. You bring back sweet memories! I do not garden, but my parents lived 2 miles away and had a huge garden that I sometimes had a chance to help with. I was the beneficiary of the work of the garden my dad so much enjoyed. As a girl growing up, I learned and participated in all the canning, preserving, and freezing. As a grown-up with kids of my own, I enjoyed the bounty of dad’s garden and fruit trees for many years doing the same thing until working full-time made that impossible. Even then, my mom would put up a few things for me and bless me with the deliciousness that can only come from your own garden! They have been gone 22 years now and I still miss certain things my dad was able to get to grow like no one else!!!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. As I read your words, I have no doubt you will. One other neat thing I will share. A few years ago my daughter-in-law asked me if I would show her how to can peaches (a favorite of my son’s). I was shocked since they had already been married more than 20 years. We arranged to travel to TN with all my canning gear and we canned peaches as well as tomatoes. It was such fun! I gave her the equipment she would need the following June for her birthday and she does it on her own now. I am sure my mother would be smiling from heaven if she had been able to watch me teaching her those days.

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      2. What a sweet story of the generations sharing a tradition! My mother in law was one of the influences in my canning and gardening, and I often wish she could see her extended family.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. I love the idea of tying your gardening to your faith! It is obviously tied together for me, but I don’t think I’ve ever thought deeper into it other than enjoying nature and learning excellent character traits through hard work, patience and perseverence. Love the idea of looking at how it changes with each gardening season too. Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. So true isn’t it!! I was just talking to Izzy about that today. He was complaining about how sometimes things take so long and I tied it back to a gardening analogy and how we have to patiently wait and work for the fruits of our labor!!!

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  11. Michele – I loved your post answering the 3 questions posed by Sarah – even had to tweet one – gotta love that we don’t have to be perfect. Kind of went with my linkup today! Thanks for joining the community at #TuneInThursday this week. Blessings to you and may this weekend be a good one for you in the garden.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I can almost taste the warm goodness of those fresh picked tomatoes… Yum! I miss container gardening… we haven’t lived in the best climates for it recently!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I think it’s significant that Eden was a garden, and that phrase runs through my head often in August when the bees are buzzing and the sunflowers are majestic and I can smell the green. Good thoughts for this rainy and cold Monday.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. What a fun analogy! We’re downsizing our garden this year because we didn’t eat everything we grew last year, and those weeds!!! my soul! Yes, I contemplated a blog post while I was out there sweating my head off, but came up with TOO MUCH material! It would have been a series, ha! Thank you so much for sharing this at the #warriorlinkup ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  16. This is a timely post Michele, especially as I have been knee deep in red clay planting several new bushes in my backyard. It makes me think back to when my children were small and we had a huge veggie garden. The home grown tomatoes were amazing (my youngest ate them from the vine until she was covered in hives!) but I also loved fresh picked green beans cooked with a bit of onion and bacon. That was another time and place where the soil was perfect and things grew like crazy. I’m not sure what will happen here but I am praying over every plant I put in this crazy dirt 🙂
    Blessings friend,
    Patti

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I remember the red clay from down south — and also the beans prepared as you described. We’re blander up here, but I completely resonate with your practice of praying as you plant. That’s one of my favorite traditions with my good husband — we pray for our garden together after it’s been planted.

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  17. Michele, I’m your next door neighbor today at Kelly’s and get the delight of reading your article starting here at your blog! I read it earlier from Sarah’s blog (and I read it again, today 🙂). I loved your thoughtful insights about spiritual lessons from the garden. Thank you for sharing!

    Liked by 2 people

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