Thursday, In The Quiet of the Evening
Gardening. Gardens, raised beds, plants. Tomatoes, kale, onions, broccoli, lettuces and squash. Zucchini and herbs, basil, dill and parsley. Calendulas to make it interesting. Our families took to this new project with vigour! Watching 2 year olds dig beside dads, moms digging and planting, planning and hoping. The dad on our staff built a couple of awesome raised beds then dug several loads of loamy soil to fill them with. We planted today in hopes for food over the next few months to enrich our program and our families. I know it will be fun to watch the progress.
I love how taking on a project together gives people an opportunity to build a commonality. Learning new skills, brushing up on skills gone rusty or simply sharing ones' passion. This day has me thinking again how gardening has so many common metaphors to life. Our children are started by seeds and nourished deep within, growing as if by magic in a secret place. They take what they need from the body they inhabit. We water our children's lives through values, through nurturing them, encouraging them and through the love we show. They are further nourished to fruit when we are finished with the raising, but not the watering and feeding. As they mature, they bear fruit and grow plants of their very own, continuing the whole cycle.
We are putting together a project at work--and part of it will be using a lovely logo of a growing flower, with words in both Gitxsan'imx and English to say "Our children are the flowers". Some elders suggest our children are also our laughter. I know the sentiment behind this, as children continue to bless us in their simplicity, in the honesty and forthrightness. We need to be aware of this gift each and every day. My grandson reminds me, when he is so quick to say I love you, to give a hug or kiss and is so genuinely happy to see those he loves. For all of this, I am grateful.
I love how taking on a project together gives people an opportunity to build a commonality. Learning new skills, brushing up on skills gone rusty or simply sharing ones' passion. This day has me thinking again how gardening has so many common metaphors to life. Our children are started by seeds and nourished deep within, growing as if by magic in a secret place. They take what they need from the body they inhabit. We water our children's lives through values, through nurturing them, encouraging them and through the love we show. They are further nourished to fruit when we are finished with the raising, but not the watering and feeding. As they mature, they bear fruit and grow plants of their very own, continuing the whole cycle.
We are putting together a project at work--and part of it will be using a lovely logo of a growing flower, with words in both Gitxsan'imx and English to say "Our children are the flowers". Some elders suggest our children are also our laughter. I know the sentiment behind this, as children continue to bless us in their simplicity, in the honesty and forthrightness. We need to be aware of this gift each and every day. My grandson reminds me, when he is so quick to say I love you, to give a hug or kiss and is so genuinely happy to see those he loves. For all of this, I am grateful.
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