Growing up in rural Minnesota meant my mom had a huge garden. She tended it all summer and then canned and froze vegetables to keep our family well-nourished all winter.
I would help my mom in our garden, and she would tell me that I needed to be careful with the seeds so that we would get the most possible produce. I loved planting big seeds like peas, pumpkins and potatoes but did not like planting tiny little seeds like lettuce, carrots, or celery. I had to be so careful, or they could just blow away in the wind or spill so easily!
It’s that time of year when gardeners are planning and preparing. Some may be starting plants from seeds. Some are mapping out how their garden will look. This time of preparing to plant is filled with hope of a bountiful harvest.
On some level it seems like a wild idea to plant these small seeds in the dirt, trusting that they will grow and bear fruit. But God, as the Master Gardener, has allowed his beautiful creation to do exactly that.
Grieving is the slow work of planting seeds in changed soil, believing that with care and patience, life will shift, grow, and reveal beauty again.
May you find hope as you plant the seeds of a different normal life that integrates both your loss and your future.
—Chaplain Ann Siverling
If you are interested in joining a group, or establishing one at your community, contact Optage Hospice or call Jenny Schroedel at 651-341-7105. Optage is the home and community services division of Presbyterian Homes & Services.