Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/dear-reader/5027406/
Every year, for a few years now, at the edge of summer, I start considering what seeds could grow well in the cooler months. I do my research, gather everything I think I will need, and prepare the soil as I think I should. Inevitably, each year, some of the seeds never come to life, others become lanky and top-heavy, unable to sustain themselves. If by some miracle, a few seedlings survive, they are prized, tended, and pampered all season. And then, in August, there is the reveal, and after all the love and attention, some seeds still never make it to the harvest basket.
The practice of gardening has taught me what it means to let go; to love, labor, and then release expectations of the outcome. It has taught me that mourning the loss of something as mysterious and precious as life, is appropriate. It is also teaching me how beautiful it is to celebrate transition, but not for the same reasons I think are often exalted. I am learning to be grateful for the big changes that are not always as easy. The move, the relationship change, the graduation, the health crisis, there is one if not more ...