From The Earth To Our Table

Gardening has become my latest passion and shall I say down right love affair! I was introduced to gardening in bits and pieces over the past few years, but last year I was asked to join in a co-operative garden with two other fabulous women (who, lucky me have been gardening for over 30 years!). It has been a growing experience and has revealed to me my absolute love of preparing the earth, planting the seeds, watching those sweet sprouts peek their heads out and of course nibbling on the bounty... still warm from the sun.

This year homeschooling took a new turn as our days more often than not became garden days. We began the spring by learning about plants and the whole process and it quickly turned into ~ let's just do it and watch nature in all her glory!   Feeling that all knowledge is rooted in wonder,  what better place to cultivate wonder than in a garden.

Many times a week we trek (3 minutes) over to our fellow gardener's space and get out hands dirty...

with the help of my girls we tend to the earth and await her gifts...

Our days often consist  of weeding, planting, watering and checking on the progress of all of our babes (as we call them). This flow works for awhile for the girls, until a new adventure catches their fancy...

 like jumping in the rain barrel on a hot day and proceeding to put on plays...

 ...taking a moment out to absorb the lush beauty...

 ...admiring our visitors to the butterfly garden.

The garden has become my sanctuary. On days when life feels unbalanced or challenging, taking time out to be in the garden has become my place to regain some stability in the midst of beauty and new life. The experience calms me, grounds me and fills my cup to be able to return back into the fullness of life.

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour. ~
William Blake

In early April when we joined up over tea to discuss our garden for the year. My fellow gardener shared that since a garden should always be a joy and full of play...we would start all of our meetings and all of our ventures in the garden with the mantra fuuunnnn....

I used to have the tendency to get overwhelmed when I would take in all that needed my attention in the garden and now i keep the fun mantra flowing and  it keeps me in that space of joy. It works....

and to these two it seems to be innate! 

If you are in a place in your life where summoning up a garden seems like too much or if you simply don't have the space, I highly recommend searching out a soul that would benefit from an extra pair of hands.  The communal gardening experience has given me so much new gardening knowledge, confidence and inspiration. I am so grateful to have these green thumb goddess's to dig in the dirt with!

 Last year, after we had "put the gardens to sleep for the winter" we all sat down to a candle light feast prepared with love, by all of us using only our bounty from the garden.  My children received a deeper  understanding of from the earth to our table...

Celebrate the earth with your child,  taking the time out to garden together. Remember always that your child's knowledge will spring from the roots you planted so deeply in the fertile soil of wonder. 

A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.

diggin' in the dirt

~ Shanti~