The author, as a child in the garden
by Alisha Nord Donnelly
I have had a connection to the land since the day I was born. My family farms, raises cattle and my mother taught me the joy gardening can bring.
She taught all three of us kids the importance of knowing how to garden, the role trees have in our ecosystem and the beauty of flowers. My mother has a true passion for the outdoors, and I am lucky she passed that down to me. Today we live in a technology-obsessed and often nature-deprived culture.
Pulling weeds in a flower bed
With several events canceled this year, if you are wondering what to do this summer, plant some tulips, help clean up your local community, plant a tree for your grandparents - become more connected to the outdoors. God has created this beautiful setting for us all to enjoy.
As I was trying to combine all the benefits being outdoors can provide, I came across an article written by Fran Sorin who touches on discovering the magic that takes place every day―in the garden and in life―as we engage in a playful type of creating.
- People who care for nature are more likely to care for others, reaching out to their peers and forming shared bonds resulting from their common interests.
- The act of gardening enables us to enter the ‘zone’ also known as an altered state of consciousness – similar to what a jogger or one who practices yoga or mediation can experience. This transcendent state is a magical and spiritual place where one experiences the best of who she/he is.
- Having to care for plants is a good way to learn to look after and respect other living things and when we are small it helps develop an appreciation of nature.
- Gardening helps us relax and let go.
- Gardening can be great exercise - there is a reason you work up a sweat.
My sister and me standing in mom's garden.
"We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s our garden that is really nurturing us," - Jenny Uglow