A Caress of God: The Garden I Call Home
The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.1 There is nothing like the…
Gardening ABCs: “A” is for Asteraceae
Did you know that the Asteraceae (a.k.a. the Aster or Daisy) family includes one of our most popular vegetables, lettuce? And this is the perfect time of year to start…
The Grain of Wheat Doesn’t Die
Jeremiah 31: 31-34 (RM) or 1-12 (RCL); Psalm 51; Hebrews 5: 7-9 (RM) or 5-10 (RCL); John 12: 20-33. If you happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the…
You Say Marigold, I Say Calendula Officinalis
“Latin is a dead language That is plain to see. It killed off the Romans And now it’s killing me.” Someone wrote these words in my autograph book when I…
All In This Together?
“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living creatures are dependent on one another.” Pope Francis¹ From the day…
Reflection for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time / Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 55: 10-11 (RM) or 10-13 (RCL); Psalm 65; Romans 8: 18-23 (RM) or 1-11 (RCL); Matthew 13: 1-23 (RM) or 1-9, 18-23 (RCL). The tiny packets of seed sat…
Working with Personal Limitations as a Gardener
“A 6-pack of those tomatoes is the same price as two of them – that’s a much better deal” my inner voice pleaded. “But I’ve started most of our tomatoes…
Tiny Miracles Part II
In my last post, I wrote about the basic needs for germination of most seeds we gardeners grow. However, as my high school French teacher used to say, “there are…
Tiny Miracles Part I
“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it…
Do Plants Multi-task?
It’s February – the time that I, and many gardeners in Canada, are making plans for this year’s growing season. My own saved seeds, stored in envelopes, are inviting me…