NATURE PROVIDES THE PERFECT SANCTUARY

This is the time of year when I have a love/hate relationship with my garden. I hate the overwhelming task of pulling weeds, trimming bushes, and gathering dead leaves. It is back breaking and hard work. My hands cramp, I sweat, and it’s guaranteed that I will be sore and stiff for days to follow. But on the other hand, I love the end result. After many hours of toil and trouble, I can sit on the deck and enjoy the blooming plants, watch the bees and butterflies flitting from one blossom to the next, and listen to the sounds of wind chimes tinkling in the breeze. If I could sketch Heaven on earth, this would be the picture.


I am more myself in my garden that anyplace else on earth. I’m dressed for the occasion with a big, old tee shirt and shorts, no makeup, hair pulled back in a ponytail, and I smell as bad as I look. It would be a crying shame to stick in ear buds with music pulsing through my body so that is not an option. To do so would defile the tranquil environment I have created and anyways, my 60's music is reserved for listening in my car. So, it’s just me and the peace and quiet of my little garden.


It is on my knees with my hands digging in the dirt that I have contemplated the condition of the world or situations at work. I have spent many hours thinking about my family, a difficult situation a friend is dealing with, or a problem I’m trying to solve. And on many occasions, God and I have had some interesting conversations. There was a time many years ago, my heart was heavy with concern for one of my daughters. As I was digging in the dirt, the Lord spoke to me as clear as a bell about the situation. I responded out loud, "Lord, no. Can’t do it. No way." And again, deep in my soul, He repeated the words exactly as the first time. It was one of the most riveting experiences in my life and it happened in the garden.


Today, I count it a blessing to have the strength and desire to physically get on my hands and knees and tend to God’s creation. The rewards I receive are far greater than what I expend in time and energy. I thank God that He placed in me a passion for nature and spending time outdoors.
Song of Solomon 2:11-13, is beautiful poetry written by a man to his lover. I like to think of it as God’s poetry, written just for me.


"For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
The flowers have already appeared in the land;
the time has arrived for pruning the vines,
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.
The fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!"

GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER

GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER

In the past seven days, we have received about 3 ½" of rain on the north side of Oklahoma City. It is a welcome sight. That is, if there’s not a low spot in your yard resulting in a lake suitable for a one-man kayak!



Water is standing about four inches deep next to our house and, for a couple of reasons, it won’t drain properly. It has been an issue since we bought the house but we never dealt with it because we’ve been in a drought and there’s been little rain. Foolish or not, our theory is, "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." Well, it’s broken so we are now forced to do something about it.



On Sunday, we received a deluge and water quickly pooled in the low spot. Rain was pouring out of the sides of the gutter and nothing was coming out of the down spout. That was the first indication that there was a problem. In hasty ignorance, we determined that a French drain probably needs to be installed and extensive landscaping done to remedy the problem.



Knowing that a French drain can be expensive, in the alternative, James first decided to clean out the gutters. It was long overdue. By hand, he pulled out huge clumps of wet leaves and small sticks. It was a disgusting and stinky mess. At one point, he pulled out what appeared to be an old rotting newspaper. Aha! Here was the culprit! The newspaper had created a dam, water backed up and spilled over the sides of the gutter, thus creating our private, manmade lake.



By the time James finished, he was almost as dirty as the gutter. I sprayed him with the hose and he went straightaway to the shower. As I washed the ladder and my tools and pulled off my muddy boots, I thought, as my mother always says, "There has to be a lesson here." Ah yes, there is definitely a metaphoric lesson to gain from this nasty dilemma.



We’ve all heard the saying, "Get your mind out of the gutter." I witnessed first hand to what depths a neglected gutter will take you. Can the same be true for the condition of a neglected mind? What I put into my mind can either be productive or destructive. Fill it with wet leaves, mud, and a rotting newspaper (hatred, prejudice, criticism, and negativity) and you’ll find yourself with a mind that ceases to function properly. If any thought evolves, followed by unfortunate words, it will smell and look pretty disgusting. A potential disaster could result in hurt feelings, anger, and even loss of a relationship. All because time and attention was not given to maintaining a valuable and healthy mind.



I don’t pretend for one second to be pure in thought and mind. To be honest, I’ve had plenty of moments that I’m glad no one could read my mind. However, our exercise of cleaning the gutters was a clear reminder to me to be more cautious the next time I feel the urge to entertain negativity in my mind, or worse yet, spew forth ugly and painful words. It’s not a pleasant task to remove the debris that clogs the mind. But it is a worthy and, quite honestly, a necessary endeavor.



In the clever words of Mark Twain, "Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." Take it from one who knows, the best way to handle that potential for disaster is to keep your gutters clean!