garden

My mentor Pittman McGehee first introduced me to the Wild Goose metaphor. He shared his copy of A Wee Book of Worship with me, a prayer book from the Wild Goose Worship Group. He explained the Wild Goose as another metaphor for the Holy Spirit; instead of the conventional image of the dove, the wild goose sparks in the imagination a pursuit: a Spirit on the move, that leads us on a chase!


I love that metaphor, and try to keep it in mind when seemingly unrelated conversations pick up a common thread around a community. That's what happened at the beginnings of the Trinity Community Garden. If you've been to Trinity recently, you may have noticed the little raised-bed garden that sits between the church, school, and vicarage. (What a perfect location for our community!)

So, those pieces of conversations led to a proposal at the Bishop's Committee meeting, and a date for the building of the garden. Notice the rough boarders on the bed? Clark had been saving those  beams for something when they took down their screened in porch; he just didn't know what until this came up. And the dirt showed up from Suzanna's neighbor on the day we were to build the raised bed; they need a place to get rid of the old dirt when they re-landscaped the yard. Jim brought some plants and fertilizer. And on and on. The youth made the lovely Community Garden sign, and now we have a community garden.

We're not ready to supply a farmer's market or anything, but we do have some tomatoes on the vine and even a banana pepper. From my perspective, the very presence of the garden is the greatest fruit. We already have beautiful flower beds around our church, and the community vegetable garden is an extension of that and a natural fit for our community. This garden can feed us in many ways. Delicious tomatoes for sure, but it can also teach our students about where our food comes from, and tending the garden offers opportunity for reflection. I hope that it can eventually provide for our Helping Hands food pantry, once we get things going. Outreach, prayer, exercise, creativity, and sustenance; that's what the garden represents to me.

Feel free to add plants, pull weeds, harvest a tomato for your sandwich, or check and see if we need to water. Stop by and get your hands dirty, and while you're gardening, listen for what the Wild Goose may be leading you to next!