Last weekend I left the garden alone for a few days and spent three days with five women. Together we developed our personal Rule of Life to adapt monastic wisdom for a distracting life outside the monastery.
In the meantime, it was pouring rain and the weeds were popping up at lightning speed while we enjoyed a very precious time.
During the weekend, we did Lectio Divina together with Isaiah 55 in the intimate monastery’s chapel at Klooster Nieuw Sion. Lectio Divina is a peaceful way of reading the Bible. Without too many words, but mainly listening to the text.
Isaiah 55 is one of my most beloved chapters and parts of it are a common thread throughout my book: The World Around My Table.
And yes: It moved me deeply and it had everything to do with the garden. Let me show you some pictures from this month. And I will take you along with wise words that are thousands of years old.
May you be encouraged.
Come, everyone who thirsts,
#gardenofabundance
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
You see on the top left, the field next to our garden. The beans in different stages, so to spread the harvest out as much as possible. There is a lot of weeding to do. But what precious moments we have in the garden! The first harvest is not much, but we keep hoping for more to come.
On Ascension day, we had a early morning walk and breakfast in the garden. Later on we had Flora’s sister’s (a friend here) goodbye party. Today, my parents came, friends stop by and more and more precious memories are added to the center of the garden. I feel so blessed.
The garden structure is an ancient structure. I believed it to be good when we developed the plan. But now, more and more, I realize that is a very wise pattern. The connection and the heart of the garden in the middle. Where we find each others heart.
May it continue to be a blessing.
Why do you spend your money
#gardenofabundance
for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that
which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me,
and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
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