If a church is a place for worship, and worship is an expression of praise, reverence and thanksgiving, then surely a garden with flowers and bees, colour and birds, fruit and grass, trees and bushes, and even bugs and weeds can be a place of worship.
An encounter with Garden Church can nourish the soul and nurture a sense of deep gratitude.
Garden Church can be a gentle reminder of the gift of creation and the miracle of birth, growth, life.
Time spent in Garden Church can be sacred and holy.
It can offer an opportunity for meditation, prayer, reflection, worship, praise, healing, thanksgiving, intercession and gentle, spiritual growth.
Spending time in Garden Church (aka, the back yard and deck with plants in planters) among the colourful flowers, bees, burgeoning strawberries, fruit trees, bugs, shrubs, weeds, the silence, the shining sun and gentle warmth are a healing welcome to my body that seems to ache more and more with each passing year.
Sometimes I experience Garden Church on a walk around the neighbourhood, listening to the calls of the birds, the chatter and joy of the children, enjoying the beauty of flowers and plants in the front yards of my neighbours.
But it’s not just on sunny days that Garden Church calls me.
Overcast and rainy days are also opportunities for Garden Church.
I love it when Garden Church is inspired by nourishing rain, gently watering the plants, grass and flowers in the garden (like these pansies) and bringing beauty to my day.
Garden Church, thank you.
You deepen my appreciation of nature.
You nourish my understanding of the created order.
You deepen my sense of spirituality in ways that touch my soul.
You bring an awareness of the blessings around me in ordinary ways – often when and where I least expect them. Truly, I am blessed when I experience Garden Church.
Do you remember – when you surprised yourself by singing … creating … laughing out loud … dancing a few steps in an unexpected time/location?
– when the contrast of sky and trees … night and day … sunrise and sunset – brought a sense of wonder that filled your soul?
– when a deep part of you that you’d long forgotten was awakened by the colour of a flower … the sound of an instrument … the taste of a meal … the touch of love … a moment of silence in the midst of a chaotic day?
– when the laughter of a child … the smell of a newborn … the antics of a pet … the unexpected embrace of a loved one … the personal words that accompanied a “Happy Birthday” greeting … the fragility of life … the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings … reminded you that there was “something more” to this world?
– when you followed that “still, small voice within” making a decision?
– when the concept of sacredness brought a sense of peace to your soul … and you couldn’t explain it to anyone, or even yourself?
– when, in spite of personal difficulties, fears, doubts, you … chose to put one step in front of the other … chose to take the day, one moment at a time … chose to whisper ‘hope is possible’.
These are moments when we touch the holy – the sacred – that which moves us to a sense of awe, that “je ne sais quoi” because it is indefinable, inexplicable, and deeply moves us to a place/space of reverence that can but does not need to be connected to the common understanding of the divine.
Those are moments when the Holy as we understand it, touches us.
In these difficult days of political rhetoric … divided families … countries at/on the brink of war … flagrant lies from people in leadership positions … financial instability … diminishing health … global climate concerns … and more, may we be observant to the holy, remember the moments when we have touched the holy, and be receptive to the moments when the Holy touched us for, whether we use that word, we have encountered Something Beyond Ourselves and it changes us – whether we know it, whether we acknowledge it, whether we believe it or not.
Trigger Moments – they come; they go; they can ambush without consent.
Trigger Moments bring us back to a time and place with a loved one who has died or who is dying … who has dementia and whose mind is dying … who is missing and not yet found … a much-loved canine/feline friend who has died or for whom we have made the difficult decision for a veterinarian-assisted death.
Trigger Moments enter conversations and thoughts in other ways … catalyst for recovering addicts/alcoholics to slip … PTSD flashbacks … COVID19 when thoughts of “what was, is no longer” surround and affect on all levels: body, mind and spirit.
Trigger Moments can be sweet. Trigger Moments can cause deep pain. Trigger Moments can intensify the desire to have “just one more” conversation … one more laugh … one more time to travel … one more opportunity to be together in holy silence in the Studio or garden, creating … one more embrace … just one more “we” moment.
When those Trigger Moments show up, when the tears flow and we are helpless to stop them, it is natural to want to “get over it.” I know that I do.
Instead, I let the tears flow … do some gentle, deep breathing … and acknowledge that the tears and sadness are part of the grief experience and I am not “losing it”.
Trigger Moments. In those moments, I know I need to care for – and take care of – my husband’s wife … me.
And I do – finding comfort in sitting on our deck beside the chair my husband used … sipping cold lemonade, enjoying the peace, quiet and beauty of our back yard … feeling his presence in a gentle way … and knowing that eventually, the Trigger Moment which left me reeling with the pain of loss, will pass.
I know that Trigger Moments are a natural part of healing from loss. I don’t like them. I know that there will be other Trigger Moments.
All I can do when they come is … let the tears flow and deep breathing happen … remember that such moments are part of the grief experience … recognize and accept the reality that in time, healing will come … take comfort in the words of the prophet Isaiah “joy shall come, even in the wilderness”.
Grief is part of life.
Trigger Moments come. Trigger Moments go. May they not be resented. May they not be despised. May they be welcomed as part of the grieving process as part of the healing process as part of the circle of life.
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The tomato plant in this photo was last year’s attempt to grow tomatoes. This year, I didn’t even do this well! I got four mini tomatoes and no, they weren’t supposed to be mini tomatoes. My guess is that I didn’t water the plant enough. I’ll try again next year. And remember to water the plant each morning. 🙂
Long ago, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius was born. Considered to be one of the most important Stoic philosophers, Aurelius penned these words: “When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive: to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
The world seems to be going crazy on so many levels. It would be easy to give way to the fear, the anger, the hopelessness, the racism, the hatred.
It would be easy …. but I refuse to give power to evil.
Today, I awoke. … I am grateful.
Today, I awoke. I could breathe. … I am grateful.
Today, I awoke. I could think. … I am grateful.
Today, I awoke, I enjoyed something. Many things. … I am grateful.
Today, I awoke. I loved. … I am grateful.
Each day, may we waken and find something each day … no matter how small for which we are grateful.
I picked these flowers from my garden. I am grateful for them and I am grateful that today, I awoke.
Last night, I lit a candle for the people of the United States.
Many are bereft at the news and find fear the occupier of their thoughts.
Tonight, I will light a candle for the people of the United States.
May loyalty to the Constitution rather than loyalty to one man be the underlying motivator for honest responses.
Each night, I will light a candle for the people of the United States for hope.
Whether we light a candle in our imagination in our prayers in real time and space, may hope be lit.
It only takes one match to light one candle … one voice to light a conversation … one conversation to light a change in one person’s vote to something that could potentially mean the end of democracy.
Let’s light a candle. Let’s light many candles. Let’s light conversations. And who knows – maybe those conversations will turn into votes. At this point in time, it’s about HOPE. Let’s keep hope lit! Let us light a candle.
June Maffin is a Creative Spirituality Artist, workshop leader, and author of several books books. She lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. [more]
