restored to the garden

yesterday, for the first time since we arrived home 12 days ago, i ventured in the garden for some work and therapy.  in our absence, laura planted a colorful, diverse garden that has thrived all summer and brought joy to many, particularly our neighbors.  we returned home to be deeply blessed by the blooms and the veggies.

as i gardened, i heard the hourly sound of the city bus stopping by our house.  this is a sound that often recalibrates me, convicts me and reminds me of what is.  i can't help but hear it and remember that many in our neighborhood do not have the freedom of their own transportation. many who use it live behind us in small, subsidized apartments.  i paused and i was overwhelmed by the privilege of working the soil and growing food.  i thought about "dominion" (the unadulterated sense of the word), that is, the god-granted right to care for the land, to cultivate it as a good steward and to participate in the natural processes of the life of plants.

having only just returned to the garden after months, i was acutely aware that i am only a guest to this and yet it is the very place god meant for me to be.