It takes a lot to grow a garden. You have to put in effort, time, and work. All the other plants, sticks, and rocks have to be removed. You get dirty and sweaty. Sometimes you bleed. The soil has to be worked. You bend over again and again preparing for your plants and seeds. Pain comes in sometimes but deep down you know it will be worth it. Carefully you plant each seed. Securely placing them where they should be.
Day after day, you take care of your garden. You nourish it with water. You pull the weeds and anything else that doesn’t belong. You protect it daily with loving care. At first, as time passes, nothing seems to change. But that doesn’t stop you. You give your garden love and attention. You continue to nourish what you know is in there. You can see it. You know what it should look like. How beautiful it will be full of fresh fruits and pretty flowers. You know you’ve started something beautiful and you believe you’ll see it shine one day.
Eventually enough time passes that you begin to see things grow. You have to study everything at first. Is this the beautiful plant I want or another sneaky weed? You learn from your garden and you begin to like what you see. Little glimpses of hope start to pop up all around you.
As you begin seeing what you’ve planted, you find joy in what you’ve brought to creation. Some things you plant don’t seem to thrive. Maybe the seed was bad or something took it. You let all that go and focus on the beauty beginning to flourish around you.
Then one day, your garden is beautiful. You are amazed by the flowers and stunned by their beauty. The fruit tastes better than anything you could have ever imagined. It feels like it all happens out of nowhere. A magnificent and tranquil garden filled with a bounty of divine things, a gift from God! You know how hard you worked and learned lessons when you failed.
The gardens blessings are enough to share. Many will delight in the sweetness of the fruit. Conversations will be had about the most pleasing flower. You take a moment to be grateful for all that is around you, all that you have, and all that you learned. You praise God and you’re thankful for all your blessings.
Yeah. That’s what I did to my Soul.
9/23/24
-Dana Gross
Creative Dana 
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