Tending My Garden

Spring is about the most exciting time of year for me. All winter long I look forward to the hours spent caring for my gardens. Each day brings miraculous changes. As the sun warms the earth, the plants respond by bursting forth into bloom. The colors are so intense...as if in soaking the energy of the sun, they transform it into electric color. This same world that was so cold and sleepy a few short months ago is teeming with life! Insects are fervently rushing about...cramming so much activity into their short life cycles. Bees are busy pollinating. Rabbits, squirrels, and birds are remodelling their homes and tending their young. And I have the pleasure of watching the drama unfold.

As I walk through the garden, embracing each new sign of life, I reach down and pluck each emerging weed; knowing that if I am not vigilant in this matter, the weeds will gain the upper hand and overtake my precious flowers. It's good to be Queen in this tiny garden dominion!

On Motherhood and letting go........

So many years have passed in my sojourn though Motherhood. I remember each moment... each day...each year. If there was nothing else that I was truly meant to do, I do know that I was meant to be a mother.

Yesterday as I watched my last child unfurl his wings and take that final flight from the nest(college graduation), I felt a deep tearing at my heartstrings...knowing that from that moment forward both of my children would be journeying down their separate paths toward the futures that only they control. Have I taught them everything they need to know to get along successfully in this world? Will they remember all of the lessons I so carefully taught?

In the offchance that my children take the time to read this, it is my desire that they know how much joy they brought to my life. From the first moment of feeling life within me to the present day as I look upon two beautifully grown adults....I have loved each moment and will hold the memories tenderly within my heart for eternity.

Today you wished me a Happy Mother's Day....and I want you to know that my Mother's Days have and will always be happy ones. I will stand in the wings now and proudly watch your futures unfold; but always know, dear children that I am here for you if ever you need me.

Just promise me.....eat balanced meals, drink moderately, don't smoke, take care of your teeth, drive safely, budget your money, pay your bills on time, save for your future, stay in touch.....and: forgive me; it is so hard to let go.....

Backyard Memories

While walking on the farm, this weekend, I was reminded of my childhood twice. The first instance was the sighting of a beautiful orange Baltimore oriole. It had landed briefly in a tree outside our farmhouse. In the past five years it is only the second oriole we have seen...so you can imagine how excited we were! That sighting brought back the memory of a time when I was a very young girl. We had found a baby Baltimore oriole in our back yard. We spent days nursing it back to health, feeding it milk and bread by hand and then eventually feeding it lunchmeat. Amazingly, our little "Hungry", as we named him,lived. He spent the summer in our backyard and would land on our shoulder to take bits of lunchmeat out of our fingers. Hungry migrated in the winter and much to our amazement returned the next year with a mate!

The second memory that came to me this weekend was brought back by the sight of wild Violets blooming. One of my most pleasant childhood memories is that of my big backyard. I suppose it was because I was so little, but our backyard seemed immense. It always felt like an hour's hike just to get to the end of the yard. I would take off from the back door in the cool spring evenings after dinner was finished. I would hike beyond my sandbox, my swingset and our beautiful blossoming red-bud tree and set out for the outer reaches of the yard. There, I would be met by a lush carpet of wild Violets in many hues from almost white to the darkest of purples. With my chubby, sweaty little fingers I would pluck the most beautiful bouquet and hold them tightly as I ran back to my Mommy. She would greet me at the door and recieve my precious gift as if it were the most beautiful she had ever seen. She would place the blooms in a vase and set them on the windowsill...a gentle reminder of the innocence and wonder of childhood.

In those days my whole world was our backyard...I needed to go no further. That yard fueled my imagination and taught me an appreciation for nature that would stay with me throughout the rest of my life. I think back now to that simpler time and am filled with a rush of nostalgia....so many life lessons learned....in my backyard.