There are no minutes in the garden–
Only rows,
A measure not of time, but of task.
In the first garden, Adam was given the task of naming:
Zebra and musk ox;
Cheetah and gerbil.
He punched no clock, but poured out creativity, fulfilling his role.
Eve may have pruned apple trees for optimal fruition, but she wore no floppy sun hat.
There were no obligatory tick checks at day’s end.
In the garden,
without wasteful frenzy, the job gets done.
So when I say,
“I’ll weed for a half hour, and then I’ll come in and start supper,”
what I really mean is,
“Supper might be late tonight.”
And there I will be,
Under a floppy sun hat,
Soaking in bright afternoon rays which generate a heat amounting to just about what the tomato plants ordered.
The beets I replanted after torrential rain are sprouting,
but so are the weeds.
And those five rows of cucumbers…
I’ll hill two of them right now, and then stand in the shade to drink water
and admire the work.
Is this how time will move and be measured in eternity?
In God’s forever garden?
When arms and legs accomplish what the heart and mind have conceived,
the hands of the clock will
tick tock
no more.
All that will matter is the work of the garden,
The work our hearts and hands were made for.
Michele
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Michele,
Your invitation to Life in the Garden sounds wonderful. Your garden looks awesome by the way!! I don’t have veggies, but I have flowers and it’s so easy to think you’ll go out for a “little while” and before you know it, half a day has blown by. Won’t it be great to just tend to the work God has given us without the performance review or having to punch the time clock? I think our hearts yearn for this simple, uncomplicated lifestyle. Beautiful!
Blessings,
Bev xx
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Funny how one weed leads to another…
Which leads to picking a few tomatoes, and then the pepper plants need hilling…
But it’s such a great way to spend more time than you planned!
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…work with rewards!
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Exactly!
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Beautiful words
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Thank you, Carol!
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Inspiring, motivating, Michele!
And to think I was patting myself on the back for watering my ferns and geraniums while in my nightgown this morning …
😉
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You definitely get extra points for wearing the nightgown!
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Beautifully penned, Michele. 🌻
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Thank you, Pam!
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Such beautiful thoughts and lessons from your garden! Thank you for taking us with you.
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I’d love the idea of all of us gathering in big Adirondack chairs perched between my two garden spots, resting in the shade of the hen house! Iced tea, anyone?
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I most certainly lose time in the garden. Dinner and everything else is always a little later. Love the idea of God’s garden in eternity.
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Glad to know I’m in good company!
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I love hearing you talk about something you LOVE! And seeing a picture of you! It’s awesome. I like to set up a garden and I like the *idea* of gardening, but I’m not always good at the care and keeping!
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Oh, that’s a rich observation! And I hear you! The planning and the concept are a long way from the actual WORK of battling weeds and doing something productive with all that grows.
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A garden is so rewarding!
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Yes! In the work and in the product!
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Lovely, Michelle…
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Thank you, Bette!
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Beautiful, Michele! I love that your idea of Heaven is time in your garden.
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Or, even better, timelessness in my garden!
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I love your poetry, Michele! And your message. “When arms and legs accomplish what the heart and mind have conceived,
the hands of the clock will
tick tock
no more.”
I look forward to that day.
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Won’t it be wonderful!?!
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Gardening is such tiring but restful work. Striving hard to enter His rest… Go Michele go! I no longer can have a garden. But my potted herbs and flowers do bring a certain solace, minus weeds ☺
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You’ve definitely found a great way to scratch your gardening itch! We’re still in “production mode” here, and I’ve already canned 30 quarts of beans, but there may come a day when I scale back…
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Wow. That’s amazing! You’ll have to share with your progeny ☺ Heading to daughter’s wedding and family reunion with all of ours! Leaving my flowers to the elk with great reluctance 🙁
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Oh, let’s pray elk-deflecting prayers!
Congratulations and enjoy the happy frenzy!
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Thank you. They were in the yard last night smelling the alyssum and deflected only by my presence 🙄 The greedy beasts have distinguishing taste!
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Ack! And I complain about wood chucks!
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😊
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What a beautiful word to start my day with!
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Thanks for letting me know you’ve been here!
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Michele, thank you for linking up to Thankful Thursday. Your garden is lovely! There is nothing quite like time spent tending plants and flowers. I find it very calming for the spirit. I hope to see you back again next Thursday. Have a great weekend!
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Glad you also enjoy gardening life–and hoping you are able to do so on “gardening time.”
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I’m no gardener, but I can certainly relate to dinner being late because I’m lost in the intricacies of my callings. In fact, if I lived alone … there is no telling when mealtimes would be.
But I certainly enjoyed reading about YOUR gardening. And, I love to chat over a glass of tea by your hen house in an Adirondack chair!
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Yes, I get lost in other ways as well. Time evaporates when I’m writing.
Thanks for the virtual visit here, and I’d also love to have tea together!
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I don’t have a garden perse but I have a mini garden on my deck. I have a bunch of pots and the good news is no weeds! I am still waiting for it to really come in strong. #thatfridaylinky
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Hooray for NO WEEDS!
Everything does seem to be late this year. I just picked peas today for the first time.
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I start losing enthusiasm for yard work this time of year–the heat, the repetition of tasks. Thanks for your inspiration to persevere, Michele! (Maybe in heaven we’ll be able to work together. That would definitely make it more fun!)
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That would DEFINITELY be more fun!
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I used to love working in the garden as it always gave me an opportunity to take a mental vacation.
Thanks for sharing at the traffic jam weekend linky party
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So true that when our hands are busy, our minds are free to roam.
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I love this!! It’s true, you totally lose track of time in the garden. And you come in tired and maybe hot, but somehow refreshed within just because of the time you spent with the plants, the soil, and the critters. Gardening gives us time to think, to pray, and to meditate on God’s goodness and faithfulness. I hear the weeds in my garden calling me! 😊
Thanks for sharing this!
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Hope you managed to triumph over at least SOME of the weeds, Cheryl.
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Oh, I love this and need to share it with my master gardener friend! Thank you!
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I hope you’ll give her my greetings!
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So beautiful! I admire your love for and talent for gardening.
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Oh, thank you Elizabeth!
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I sometimes miss having a garden. We did in younger years, and some canning. My son and DIL garden in large pots and seems to work fine. They brought some of their veggies. I could give that a try. Love the picture in my head that your post brings of you working, and enjoying your garden time. Love the floppy hat. I have one, but forget to wear it when out in my yard pulling weeds etc. Have a great week.
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I forget my hat sometimes, too, but have done better than usual this year. It really does help, and I don’t get as tired when I’m protected from the sun.
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Yes, the weeds are terrible this year. Yet we still toil on!
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They do keep us busy–and focused!
But after I start canning, I wave a white flag…
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I think gardening is quite spiritual in itself much like baking. I prefer baking though – all the hard work of gardening puts me off but I like the idea of the therapeutic qualities of a garden – may be time to get a gardener for our new place #TwinklyTuesday
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Oh, baking is another of my loves.
I’d never thought of the similarities, but I see your point.
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What a delicious looking garden Michele! We have a small one, nothing that looks to be the size of yours. Ours is just enough to get a good salad for 2 for dinner each evening. I love that quote, “There are no minutes in the garden–Only rows, A measure not of time, but of task.” And I HATE TICKS!!! LOL But that quote is spot on!
Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!
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Lovely words. I’m not much of a gardener but your words seem to motivate me to start .
#GlobalBlogging
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This is beautiful Michele!! It makes me think about the garden I didn’t get to plant this year because of health issues but that God is also sowing something new in me and that makes me so happy! Thank you for linking up @worthbeyondrubies today!!
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Just recently read about your health challenges. Blessings to you as you recover. thank you for your upbeat spirit.
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What a poignant thought on eternity, Michele! I so hope that we get to spend forever not counting the time but doing whatever work of worship is conceived of!
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I share this hope, Bethany!
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Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared.
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What a lovely thought. And gorgeous vegetables you have harvested! #ThatFridayLinky
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Thank you!
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[…] The Work of the Garden […]
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Love this line…“When arms and legs accomplish what the heart and mind have conceived”, how glorious when that happens! Thanks for linking up with us at the #WednesdayAIMLinkParty 42
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Yes, glorious indeed!
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared.
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Beautful poem. We reap what we sow in the garden and in life. Thanks for linking up with #globalblogging
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