So.....close to one year later, and here I am posting. This day is a good as any to jump right back in. I have spent these months surrounded by stacks of books. On every available surface.....books. Theology books to be exact. Meals have been prepared and enjoyed around these stacks. Friends and family have gathered for birthdays, holidays and celebrations. Decisions and discussions have taken place while peering at one another over paperback and bound copies with titles such as Evil and the Justice of God, Rediscovering the Triune God, and The Domestication of Transcendence. Fall, winter, spring and half of summer have come and gone and these seasons have not exactly been free and easy. You see, my husband has been working to complete his dissertation, and we have recently celebrated a long awaited graduation ceremony. And thousands of words later, forming an impressive, massive amount of work, he is now a Doctor of Divinity.
Am I boasting-yes!!!! I am so proud of him. And I believe the work he has done will benefit many. What have I been doing? Taking a break from my own full time status as a student-too many books (and students) in one household can cause craziness and conflict!) I have spent this time doing lots of cooking in order to feed the hungry scholar "brain food", while hopefully, but not perfectly, encouraging and supporting the whole process, (with the help of some very kind and good friends and family) Now-what am I getting back to? During the long winter months I dreamed of and planned my garden. I poured through gardening magazines and books, including The Vegetable Gardener's Bible. As soon as the weather warmed I began my work. I found this quote in a gardening magazine
" Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant"
-Robert Louis Stevenson-
I decided to put this into practice, and every morning as I work in the garden, I carry seeds. Every day I plant something, at times, just a few seeds, or a transplant tucked in the soil. Planting is my focus, not the harvest. Oh yes, of course I hope for a bountiful harvest. I believe this can also be a wise way to look at relationships, and what I am able to give to others, as well. As my husband worked on his dissertation, many words were carefully typed one by one to create something much bigger than he had even imagined in the beginning. I know that when I focus on the harvest, rather than the planting of seed, I tend to become tired and discouraged-because waiting is hard. So I will plant, plant plant! And in its own time, there will be a harvest!
