Pondering Hope in Everyday Moments
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” (Audrey Hepburn)
Outside in the courtyard, my vinca (periwinkle) displays a strange mix of tired old leaves left over from last season along with some tender new shoots that promise a lovely spring. I need to take cuttings and stick them into some dirt. That’s all they need – that, and a little water. Vinca simply wants to grow.
What would we do without the promise of spring?
Here in Southern New Mexico, it’s still winter. When I leave the house in the morning, it’s just above freezing, but by afternoon, it has warmed up to the fifties (F).
A few violets have appeared. Soon there will be a purple carpet of the little dears. And new shoots of tall sedum have appeared among the dead stalks of last year’s offering. They remind me of miniature cabbages.
Spring isn’t in the air yet, but it shimmers on the horizon.
My cacti are blooming just in time for Good Friday. The prickly spines remind me of the crowning of thorns and bitter suffering of Jesus, but the lovely blossoms suggest resurrection — the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection that each of us ultimately longs for.
The Vinca (Periwinkle) vines are bursting with new life. I started the plants last summer as small cuttings from another pot. All of my other pots were occupied at the time, so I stuck the tender shoots into the pot with the cacti. I wondered how they would get along.
They seem to like each other.
Even though the temperature is still dancing around 32ᵒ F in the night, the days are warming up. The first blossom has opened on my variegated vinca (Periwinkle), along with some healthy new shoots that will make good cuttings for future plants.
I love it when my garden gives me gifts to give to friends and neighbors.
Contemplation Garden 