Puttering in our small garden brings me joy. It helps me focus on beautiful things while acknowledging humanity’s challenges with natural disasters and oppressive regimes.

I comfort myself by remembering my monthly donations to humanitarian organizations responding to disasters and medical emergencies. It’s the most I can do on a retirement income and limited energy from my quiet and safe corner of the world.

We can cheer on the little guy, the refugee and oppressed as they rise from the rubble in a display of determination and beauty.

We can hope for a modest harvest to celebrate our nurturing efforts. We can only provide so much support, love and patience for the late bloomers struggling to establish their place in our world.

We should reflect on how nostalgia holds us back from what can be, for our descendents and the natural world ahead. It is important to respect traditions, but recognize what to let go of and what to embrace as we move forward in support of future generations.

Growing Scarlet Runner Beans and encouraging their climbing vines is one tradition I hold onto in honour of my parents and the summer gardens at the old homestead on Georgian Bay. I hold onto the nostalgia of growing up in a small town, free to roam the yards, forests and waters, oblivious to the risks.

Thank you for stopping by. What are you growing in your gardens?

T