New Beginnings

April 1st - Not a day of pranks for me but a new month, a new quarter, a new start, a new beginning. . .

This year, as some of you already know, I decided to plant a garden with hopes that the constant tending and attention it would require would give me an alternative place to channel my energy from OCD. I chose to start my garden from seeds for several reasons; the most obvious reason being cost effectiveness, but also seeing the change and progress of the actual growth inspires me. Watching something new sprout from something old, dried, shriveled, and seemingly dead amazes me; it reminds me of the basic miracle of life and the grand circle of God's creation.

Sewing my garden and physically planting the seedlings has really been spiritually symbolic for me. Each day I take the time to check on my garden, carefully moistening the seeds with a fine water/plant food mist and I make sure to nourish them daily.  I watch silently as each day they gain strength and essence from the sun and begin to open up and reach for the sky, as if they too, are desperately trying to remind me to look up for my own strength. Its the small things in my life that heighten my awareness of how much beauty actually surrounds all of us at every moment; the reminder of God's love for us is everywhere if you just take the time to look up.