A Walk in the Garden
And He walks with me, & He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
In the Garden- C. Austin Miles (1913)
On Saturday, we went to Dayton to see the Virginia Bluebells at Aullwood Gardens. My good friend Karen has been trying to get the girls and I to go for at least 5 years. Wow! The wait was worth it and the sweeping carpets of color were overwhelming!
Ellie found 3 little spots along the paths where she dipped off into the greens and blues and yellows. My eyes would follow her as she moved along on her own, lost in the color. And "In the Garden" came to mind.
"In the Garden" is a hymn that seems a little like home to me. My dad sang "In the Garden" several times at church when I was little. We would sing it as a family around the house. It can't help but be in my mind as I wander around the woods and flowerbeds around home.
On Saturday, it came to life a little more watching my daughter trail off into that beautiful garden alone. It felt a little more real despite her being g-r-u-m-p-y!
Scowling face and stomping feet; I know Jesus would still show up. He would lean in and give Ellie a tight hug. He would match her pace, and hold onto every single grumpy word she sent his way.
Those little walks didn't cure Ellie's case of the grumps. But they did give her a quiet moment of respite.
Isn't that what Jesus invites us to do with him daily? Go on a short walk and just have a quiet moment of relief? Even with our feelings of anger, sadness, grief, emptiness... he will be there.
If you've been receiving the Tuesday Breakfast Notes, you know I would walk with Jesus in a flowering garden. Have I sent a newsletter without flowers yet?
My daughters would invite Jesus to bounce on the trampoline! My dad would take Jesus for a ride in the tractor. My mom would ask Jesus to help rock the grandkids. My husband and his dad would invite Jesus on a round of golf.
Where do you meet Jesus for some time, just the 2 of you?
Ellie walking at Aullwood Gardens, April 2023
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