June 19th, 2026

Onward and Upward in the Garden

“Gardening is an instrument of grace.”

May Sarton (Belgian-American Novelist & Poet; May 3rd, 1912 to July 16th, 1995)

“To my mind, there are two types of lady gardeners. There are those extraordinary women who not only know every flower, but know every flower by its Latin name. These women look as beautiful as the flora they nurture, gardening in wide-brimmed straw hats and pearls, trailing chiffon, and wearing Ferragamo shoes. They keep meticulous gardening journals, plt plant placements on graph paper, and never break into a sweat when wielding a trowel and a spade. Katherine White belonged to this gardening genius.”

“‘Grunge’ accurately describes the other group. We are always hot, smelly, and sweaty in the garden, boasting not so much a green thumb as dirty fingernails because we forgot where we put our gardening gloves. We speak of ‘that little yellow flower’ and point.”

“Gardening has become an unexpected instrument of grace, for I’ve discovered hours of inner peace on my knees, digging in the dirt. Here is the one place I don’t think about work or worry about whatever it is that I can’t control. The complete absorption, the sacrament of the present moment I experience when planting or weeding brings exquisite contentment. My mind is stilled and my heart expands. Now I know why the Great Creator intended for women to flourish in a garden. So much for second-guessing the wisdom of Spirit.”

“I miss having a garden. It is something that brings me peace and contentment.”

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–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 217 to 218 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.