The Secret Garden

"I'm just taking out the garbage," I announced to Beth, who was busy checking out the fairy characters on the Rainbow Magic website.

As I headed down the garden path towards the carport, I glanced at our yard.

The gardener had just completed his winter pruning of all our fruit trees, and the branches were looking more bare than usual.

I hit the combination on the very rusty lock, and it surrendered readily, unlike most days when it puts up a 1-minute struggle.

Scottie was out the gate and dashing madly around the carport before I could shout "No!"

I checked the mailbox, picked up a bit of trash that had flown into the front garden, and made my way back into the garden.

As I was walking back towards the house, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of GRATITUDE.

Yes, the yard needs work.

The earth where our fence meets our neighbour's has subsided somewhat and needs to be levelled and propped up. At the moment, the gaps are being filled randomly with loose bricks and leftover tiles.

The fallen leaves accumulate as soon as the last lot has been swept up.

If one wants to be romantic, one could, I suppose, compare the yard to the secret garden in Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel.

Or as I told a girlfriend the other day, it's got a lot of potential. Ha!

The yard's not what we'd like it to be - yet.

And yet, it's beautiful in its own way.

For one, it's spacious, like nothing we've experienced back home.

And everything is starting to find its place.

Even the leftover bricks and timber bits which I had to confront while tidying up in preparation for visits from friends this week.

With a bit of imagination, I was able to make creative use of those bits to shore up some shocking gaps in the brickwork of our pergola area and in the fence boundary.

It's a bit like my life.

There are so many puzzles and gaps and imperfections, and sometimes it's hard to see what the complete tapestry of my life looks like from God's perspective.

God's work in my life isn't done yet.

But in the meantime, He has provided miracles to marvel at, beauty to inspire me, and so many gifts to give thanks for - if I but slow down to notice them.