A Time of Refreshing | The Bird Garden at Spring Meadows

Yesterday, my favorite flower blooming was a white gladiolus with a red throat and tinges of rose and light pink ruffled edges. But today my “favorite flower” is not just one flower, but the entire Bird Garden, where I sit welcoming the time to write in an outdoor setting instead of my office inside. I could spend my day here, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the gardenia bush in bloom or observing my feathered friends as they flutter from feeder to feeder. As I watch a bird grab a sunflower seed in its beak, then spread its wings in flight, it reminds me of faith, and I ask myself the question, “How are your wings of faith?”

Sir James Matthew Barrie, a Scottish novelist and playwright, wrote a novel entitled The Little White Bird. It was in this novel he introduced the character of Peter Pan, and most of us remember the animated classic “Peter Pan” from our childhood days. But for me, one of the most memorable quotes from his book is this: “The reason birds can fly, and we can’t, is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.”

The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.

Do I have weeds to pull? Yes. But wait! Let me take a slight pause here and tell you about a class I took last Saturday at Petals from the Past and learned about valuable plants we call weeds that in reality are much more! With my new knowledge, I will harvest those “weeds” for medicinal purposes instead of complaining about them! The class was taught by Debbie Boutelier,  a herbalist who teaches on a national level. She gives many seminars on organic gardening, nutrition, the many aspects of herbs and other garden related topics. Debbie has been studying medicinal uses of herbs for over 15 years and completed a three-year intensive study of the medicinal aspect of herbs at the Appalachian Center for Natural Health. She is a long-time member and past president of the Herb Society of America.

Does the vegetable garden need tending? Yes, plants still need to find their home in the ground, but with all the rain today and over the last few days, it’s too wet anyway.

There are many reasons to move on from this place where I am sitting. But I will stay here as time stands still and God refreshes my mind. This garden of quietness is a good place to unwind. Do you have a place where you can be refreshed and rejuvenated? Find it and visit often. It is not only refreshing but the time spent with the Master Gardener builds your faith.

One of my favorite worship songs, inspired by Psalm 42:1 and written by Marty Nystrom, comes to mind and I begin singing it out loud! For a moment, I thought Callie, my golden, would join in! She is smiling! Animals understand the emotions we feel and my Callie feels the peace that surrounds us in the quiet and peaceful garden setting.

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” Psalm 42:1 (NLT)

As the Deer

Written by Martin J. Nystrom (1984)