Weeds. Every year I try to keep them under control in my garden. Almost every year I fail. I think there was one year, back in the 1990’s somewhere, when I actually conquered the weeds. I laid out thick layers of newspaper between the rows of vegetables and piled straw on top. I diligently pulled up weeds within the rows while still small. The vegetables grew strong and healthy without those nasty weeds to eat up their nutrients and drink their water. My garden looked like something out of Organic Gardening magazine with those neat straw walkways and thick green rows of veggies. I loved to go outside and stare at my beautiful garden.
This year I tried. I did lay out rows of newspaper and straw–in most of the rows. Unfortunately, the newspaper was not thick enough, and grass grew right through it. And I didn’t keep up with the weeds and grass within the rows. Now I have high arching grass stalks thick with seeds sticking out from the rows and filling the aisles between. A few blackberry vines have crept through the fence to mix with the weeds in those areas I didn’t get covered. No magazine centerfold for this year’s garden!
Other weeds have invaded my life recently, weeds just as tough to eradicate and more dangerous. We know them by the name of cancer, or carcinoma, if you want to get fancy. I take better care of my body than my garden, but they managed to sneak in anyway–fortunately, in small numbers. With the help of doctors, nurses, and other support people, I plan to pull every one of these weeds and not allow them back in. This gardening venture should be quite a learning experience, but I do not plan to write more about it on this blog. I have begun a second blog to document this journey and the spiritual lessons I learn through it. If you wish to share that journey with me, feel free to drop by at http://stormsparrow.wordpress.com/. I welcome the company!
Sparrow Thoughts 