Joan's Garden
Here is part two of showcasing gardeners and why they garden on Words Have Wings.
Joan and I met online when she began attending the Zoom morning minyan in December, following the death of her beloved husband. Despite experiencing challenging times these past months, Joan has been the ultimate optimist. Her garden has given her great joy, not just because she is a gardener and creator at heart, but because she is carrying on something that she and her late husband enjoyed working on together. Gardening honors Joan's husband's memory with fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers. I hope that you enjoy Joan's wonderful essay as much as I did.
My garden bursts with color.
Scents of flowers blooming,
wonderful veggies and herbs.
My garden has been planted with great love and care, particularly this year.
My garden honors the memory of my loving husband who passed away as winter arrived in December. We loved to plant our garden together and shared the produce of our garden with our friends. The garden is the place I find happiness yesterday, today and tomorrow
My garden nurtures my soul as I water and care for the tiny plants and herbs
and amazing flowers. Each day the bees and butterflies come and sip nectar from the flowers and they pollinate the vegetables. Baby rabbits tiptoe through the garden, peeking at its beauty and then run off delighted. Neighbors come by say hello and fondly remember my husband's love of the garden. When they visit they recount how we shared what we had.
Simply put, life grows in my garden
My inner strength grows in my garden daily.
As the sun sets on my garden each flower looks to the stars, just as I do. I wish for love, growth and enjoyment for all who come upon my garden and enjoy it.
May we be blessed to bloom within ourselves and the fruits of our labor be enjoyed by all.
I am very lucky to have my garden and I treasure its place in my life 💕
Joan was a small business owner of Joan's Custom Gifts and Events. She has volunteered extensively for Hadassah, CJP and her synagogue community. Joan has a daughter and two grandchildren.