The Constant Gardener

 
I have some gardening to do, but I’m not talking about yard work.
 
Tuesday night at the end of my meeting with my church small group we were given the challenge to take a quiet moment and look at our lives as gardens and ask these questions: “What seeds are being planted? What are you reaping in your life that you are happy with and what are you reaping in your life that you are not satisfied with?” We were challenged to ask God to help us root out any weeds and ask the Creator what to we should replant, how to do it and when.
 
I think it’s no coincidence that the Reverb creative prompt for April was simply, “What’s blossoming?”  And shortly after receiving that prompt in an email I came across Sarah McColl’s post “What Is Growing Within You This Spring?”  In the post she writes that the teachers at a weekend yoga retreat she recently attended wanted their students to consider this: “What is unfolding within you this spring? How can you nourish and cultivate those tender, tiny sprouts?”
 
I had been quite busy lately considering the first part of this question. I feel so much unfolding within me. Lately, I feel that I’m bursting at the seams with ideas for creative projects that I want to pursue. Then, also on Tuesday, I was reminded of the importance of considering the second half of this question too when I received an e-newsletter from the Birmingham Blogging Academy. In the newsletter Wade Kwon asks his fellow bloggers to figure out what nourishes our souls as he stressed the importance of having a blog that is not simply funny or interesting but is also meaningful and nurturing to its readers.  


“Whoa, that’s a bit too heavy for a Tuesday,” I thought after reading it. But after going to Bible study and receiving the “gardening” challenge and recalling the Reverb prompt and Sarah’s post I knew it was time I sat down and figured this all out.
 
What nourishes my soul? Reading great stories and striving to write my own. Starting my mornings with prayer. Quality time with my wonderful husband. Connecting with people, especially other women and especially over a great meal at a cozy restaurant. And while most people consider working out torture, both my body and spirit are nourished by exercise.


After making this list in my journal I realized that doing these things on a regular basis is exactly what will cultivate the “tender, tiny sprouts” that are unfolding within me this spring. So I must be more intentional about making these activities a regular part of my everyday life and I must do this constantly.
 
I hope that this post will encourage you to consider what’s blossoming and what nourishes your soul because I hope that my blog is meaningful to you. Today I am committing to being more intentional also about what I write here because one day when you’re considering what nourishes your soul I want you to think of GeorgiaMae.com.
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5 Comments

  1. I LOVE THIS POST! This is just fabulous and you are so inspiring. As I have thought about doing a Vision Board recently, I have been thinking hard about what meaningful things can I put on it? And I have also been pondering, what can I change in my life to make it more fulfilling and meaningful to me? And how can I inspire others? You really hit the nail on the head with this post and reminded me that I needed to move along progressively and provide more nourishment to my soul. I so heart Georgia Mae! 🙂

  2. Thanks for the love, Arnita. You should definitely make a vision board. It’s an awesome experience. This year I plan to have a vision board making party with a group of gal pals.

    Looking forward to reading the post, Wade. See you tonight at the ALSOCME mixer.

  3. Good Post. Glad things are blossoming for you. Very inspring for those who wish to do the same and who are not where they wish or should be in there life like myself.

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