Kind words are the gardens, kind words are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits, take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine, kind words, and kind deeds. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Nurturing seems to be a topic on my mind lately. From my post on Sunday sharing about my nurturing Gidget’s memorial marker where she lays resting outside Joyful Pause Cottage to now thinking about it in terms of gardening.

I also just finished recording an excerpt from each chapter of my memoir, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am, and I’ll be releasing one a day beginning on May 11th – the two-year mark since Gidget has been gone. As I write this post my YouTube channel is busy at work uploading all the chapter excerpts. It was quite the task, but I felt strongly called to do this creative project in honor of Gidget. Another way in which I continue to nurture her many gifts to me and sharing them with others in the hope they will be beneficial for the healing journey of others. 

Gidget was my mirror to listen to the little girl within me that had been in pain for many, many years, but stuffed it down for fear of not being heard, understood, or believed. But as I’d come to realize it was the now-adult version of me that had to listen. From that listening, I learned how to nurture that small child within me. To hold her, soothe her, and let her know it was all going to be okay.

Yesterday I recorded an excerpt from the chapter titled No Place Like Home. This chapter is when I realize all the inner work I’d done as I healed the pain from a childhood trauma was now reflecting in my home. John and I were remodeling the kitchen and living room. We took out a partial wall from between the kitchen and living room, painted the walls a light gray, and changed to soft tones of beige, blue and green colors for the living room furniture from the dark teal, green and maroon they were.

When we take care of our inner world the outside world of our existence takes care of itself.

Sunday as I perused a home decor magazine which is one of my favorite things to do, I came across the quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

In between my project of recording the book excerpts I’ve been planning for a raised bed garden — a first for me. Years and years ago we had a garden plot in our yard dug by rototiller, but then it fell to the wayside — as the busyness of life can sometimes steal right from under you.

But this new way of gardening with raised beds really appealed to me. If I start small, I thought, I can manage it more easily and add more the following year if I wish. Scouring the internet I found this 4 x 4 raised bed plan I fell in love with. I especially love the bench on each side. Nice for sitting to plant seeds, weed, and pick the crops when ready, while appealing to the eye. But I’m also envisioning it as a lovely place to just sit and relax sometimes.

I purchased organic seeds from Everwilde Farms and after receiving them realized I’d forgotten to order spinach and swiss chard. In the back of my mind, I worried I wouldn’t have enough room for everything I want to plant thinking I’d just have to plant some things in containers.

It was a few hours later when John mentioned that we should perhaps make the garden 4 x 8 instead. He had calculated out the cost for additional cedar and it didn’t add too much more to the total. I had my confirmation that the plans I had for the additional seeds I needed to get were a go-ahead!

Today as I dream more about this new experience of having a raised bed garden the thought of nurturing trickled through my mind again. As I continue to nurture my relationship with Gidget even though she is no longer here physically, I’m reminded of her potent teaching to continue to nurture my inner world.

As I plant vegetable seeds I nurture my connection to the earth and nature. As I harvest the crops I help to nurture the insides of our bodies with good food, which helps nurture our minds and spirit. This brings me full circle back to the quote above — and how when we take care of our inner world, the outside world by default reflects this back in the most beautiful way.

XO,

Barb

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