How does my garden grow?

I don't know about you, but I learn SO much from my garden.

I am not exactly a "green thumb"...this is only my second year to have a vegetable garden.

But when I checked the forecast and saw that we had the "all clear" to begin planting, well, you could not keep my hands out of that dirt!!  (Nor the hands of my children...as you will soon see!)

As I worked, the Lord tenderly showed me how He has lessons for me in even the smallest things.  

Nature truly sings of His glory!

The right tools...

and the sweetest of helpers...

work together to fill an empty void...

with PROMISE

A survivor of winter brings color and fragrance and flavor...

while a new resident settles in for the summer.

Dirty little hands relish the simplest of treasures

and we take a break from the work to take in what is bursting all around us

The first of many beauties that will grace my garden

And OH the lesson the Lord taught me here.  I was convinced this was dead...a lost cause.
But NO!  Tiny little green gifts appeared...little signs of hope and life!

So much beauty...

that can barely contain itself.

An empty heart, waiting to be filled...and the promise of rain to fill it.
Do you SEE what He is doing all around us??

A delightful discovery that thrilled my little boy's heart! 

He enjoyed him for a bit, then gently put him back in his home, watching delightfully
as he squiggled back down into the dirt.

As the sun set, we finished our work.

We stepped back to admire the promise of harvest.

At last, we retreated indoors as the water settled
all the seeds firmly into their new home.

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11