Does your Mother have a Garden?

I'm working in my garden today, autumn work for the waning moon: pruning, clearing, making space for the resting time to come and place for the new growth when it's due.

As well as that it's Mothers' Day in South Africa this Sunday so I was thinking about that as I worked.

I thought that I'd like to ask you something: does your mother have a garden?

It might be a food garden or a garden for the spirit.  It might be large or be two pots outside the door. Whatever.  Look carefully there, in her garden.  It might reveal some things to you, you might be able to see her more clearly.  You might see revealed some of what she has lavished upon you.

What might you see? Her creativity, her vision.  Her hopefulness, her perseverance.  Her planning, her carrying out her plans.  Her acceptance of what cannot be, her idea of what could be, her working with what she has.  Her making meaning, her working with not against, her putting food on the table. Her tenderness, her nurturing, her patience.  Her bitter disappointments, her ruthlessness, the defeats which could have crushed her.  Her delight.  Her refusal to back down, her time given unstintingly.  Her joyfulness, her heart ... who knows what you might see manifested in your mother's garden.

So does your mother keep a garden? Go on, you might be with her this weekend, take a look at her garden.  I hope it'll remind you of good things which might otherwise be forgotten.

Happy Mothers' Day!