Soul Harvest
Photo by Catherine Izard
Dear Soul Friends,
After months of planning and planting, my daughter has begun to gather her summer harvest. Each morning, she picks what has ripened, places it into her homemade willow basket and carries it into her house.
It takes hours and years to create a garden. Some years the tomatoes are abundant and beautiful, but the beans never grew. Other years the beans take over their garden bed, and the tomatoes are scarce. But eventually the techniques and wisdom gained from trial and error become a foundation for success. I have a theory about perennials. If a plant does not return after the first year, it would rather not be there. It is time to try something else. Plants tend to choose their favorite spot regardless of growing instructions. I have a bright purple dahlia by the back door of my new house. It was planted years ago. For some reason, it returns year after year. Most dahlia tubers freeze in New England winters, but this one has snuggled up to the side of the house foundation and keeps coming back. When I bought the house, the realtor firmly told me not to dig it up in the fall. Sometimes gardens have a story of their own.
Tending our souls is a similar process. Learning to listen for our soul’s wisdom and insight requires giving it attention and practice. Finding the right prayer routine, or meditation practice, or spiritual reading is an ongoing process. Each step leads to something else, nurturing the soil in order for soul insights to emerge.
The other day a friend told me that for the past year she’s been a part of a gratitude circle. Meeting once a month, she shares her spiritual observations with others. The practice has opened her to a deeper connection with her soul and Holy Presence. From my experience as a spiritual director, practicing gratitude is the quickest way to soul tending. When we’re grateful for our lives, we begin to see how integrated we are in the fabric of creation and the miracle of being alive.
Thirteenth-century mystic Meister Eckhart wrote,
If the only prayer you said in your entire life is thank you,
that would be enough.
As you go through your week, may you find the time to tend to your soul and may you be blessed with the bounty of The Holy One’s encompassing love.
Deep peace to you,
Susan
