The Home Garden

So many times, I look about my house and feel exhausted seeing all the same old things that need to be done.  There are dishes in the sink, crumbs on the floor, and papers piled high and needing to be filed.  Laundry bubbles up like some endless fiber spring.  If you had looked at my house a week ago, or a month ago, or fifteen years ago, you would have found all the same things collecting in all the same places, and I have often asked myself why, why, why have I not gotten control of them?  Why have I not figured out the secret to making all these things stay put away and out of sight, retreating like a colony of ants when its stone is overturned?

Then a thought occurred to me.  A home is not some work of art that we perfect until it is forever complete and beautiful.  It is more like a garden.  The weeds keep creeping in, and it needs constant watering and pruning.  A season of neglect brings forth an unruly tangle, yet hard work and devotion make it a haven more pleasing than any fixed piece of artwork could ever be.

Ah, well, time for me to put on a pair of gloves and get at those weeds.

Comments

[Michele Q.]

Alice this is so simple and so lovely. Thank you for sharing it.

[Christine]

A good friend once shared with me something similar to what you wrote. She said that when she looks at the mess in her house and yard, she has to remind herself that she is doing something more important than trying to keep a house clean, she is tending the gardens of her children's hearts. May we mothers always remember what God is calling us to do!

[Lindsay]

Thank you Alice. I've so enjoyed hearing more from you lately, and this analogy is such a lovely one to remember during those times of discouragement!

[melissa]

I'm new to your blog, but certainly identify with this post. Thanks. It helps me take a breath. :)

[Jennie C.]

I've been sifting out rocks today. :-)

I heard an idea for Lent, to declutter 40 bags in 40 days and felt inspired by it. I've already got two and I haven't even gotten started.

[monica klepac]

this is an encouragement to me as i have been struggling with guilt about all i dont get done around the house. thank you
monica

[Plain and Joyful Living]

I just love this analogy. What keeps me going is to practice gratitude - as I wash the dishes, for example, to be thankful for the food that we had.
Blessings,
Tonya

[Carole in Wales]

Thank you so much for sharing this, Alice. It is so good to hear from you again. This analogy certainly applies in our household as well. Perhaps I can apply this during Lent to put the finishing touches on our home. But then again, is a home ever really finished?

[Mary Beth Patnaude]

What a beautiful way to describe the house! I often feel the same way, and have to work hard to keep myself from becoming discouraged. Then I remember, my boys are happy and healthy, and that's what matters!

[MelanieB]

What an encouraging thought.