Garden Angel

A wheelbarrow of dirt, tomato plants and a shovel.

Emily and I have spent some time trying to come up with different ideas for the Healing Knots blog. One of my favorite ideas was for us to come up with Recipes for Life. That is anything you could explain in the form of ingredients, directions, and final goal that might bring something to your life that is worth sharing with others.

Well, we have gotten away from our “Recipes.” Just life and new ideas and who knows what tickles our fancy one day seems to be forgotten the next. But, yesterday I was reminded that sometimes a recipe is being made and you do not realize it has happened to you until you put it all together and see what it made.

So yesterday I lived one of those amazing “Life Recipes”. It was one of pure luck, grace, divine timing, a gift from the heart…serendipity….I have NO idea what you want to call it. But, I call it a Recipe for Life!!!

This one is worth taking note and trying for someone…but, mostly for yourself.  It was such a wonderful surprise and I am still smiling every time I think about what happened yesterday.

Recipe to lift your spirits!

Ingredients:

• 1 Truck full of good soil
• 1 Wheelbarrow
• 1 Shovel
• 1 Tray of plants (tomatoes, peppers, herbs)
• 1 Person with a really big heart that loves to garden
• 1 Person who has a heavy heart and a new flower bed to plant and is clueless
• 2 cups of ice tea

Directions:

• Start with the person that loves to garden. When dirt is your favorite thing…filling your pick up with a load of dirt is pure bliss. When you have a friend that has an empty flower bed and you can tell she is clueless, it is only natural that you would take charge and become her “Garden Angel.” So just strap on your angel wings and start doing what comes natural.

• A knock on the door….and a smile on her face, “Can I go into your backyard?” is how this Angel greeted me yesterday. Oh, I said, "Let me throw on some shorts and help." Mind you, this is just what I needed to provide an escape from a week of much drama and heartfelt struggles in my world.

• Standing on the dirt pile in the pick up and tossing the dirt into the wheel barrow is an instant moment of happiness. Learning how to navigate the wheel barrow around the house to the backyard - another hilarious lesson. Weaving around the trees to the planting area and then the big dump of dirt, followed by spreading it evenly with your hands. How can you feel sad or worry when you are playing in the dirt??? We do this about 5 times. Each time it gets easier and more fluid.  

• Next step, place the plants in the areas that will make them grow and feed off of each other.  The basil goes next to the tomatoes to make them taste better. Well, that is the best idea I have ever heard of. Then the peppers are planted and a few herb plants.

• OH, we need a sip of ice tea. We sit and talk about what else could be added to this space of fresh dirt. Flowers, more herbs, and mostly pure heart.

That is what this day was.  

Thank you Sandra for being my “Garden Angel.” You will never know that your knock on my door was just what my heart needed.

Keep shoveling and sharing your love of the dirt! You are growing so much more than just plants!!!