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Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow
Do you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, or barley grow?

When I was in elementary school I thought that this was by far the MOST irritating song ever to be invented. A great friend and I would, upon hearing it, plug our ears and moan and groan. Even now if one or the other of us sings even a few notes of it to the other we laugh and say "no, no, no!"

Oddly enough I ended up choosing a course of study in a field that ties in very closely with how plants grow, and where, and when. I have been yearning for a garden of my own for several years now and although Seattle has dealt me a few disappointing cards so far, it did turn over a bit of Earth for me to steward.

Yesterday I went out to the garden and started to work. It was brisk to say the least, the sun was shining, the sky was brilliantly clear, and it was as cold as hell (hell to me would be cold, I suffer in cold). Dressed in my puffy down coat, sweatpants, Toms, and my new pink gardening gloves I weeded until I was sure I had eradicated those nasty buggers. I then proceeded to plant tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils. Since it isn't veggie season (at least not of any veggie I like) I thought that I could at least plant some flowers. I dug each hole with care, sprinkled in some fertilizer (chicken poo from our neighbors coop), gently placed the bulb in, and covered it over with soil. I had been having a lame and irksome week that was not turning out how I had planned but this activity provided a way for me to feel grounded, rooted if you will, for the first time in 6 weeks. As I gently avoided Wormy Wormington and Wormina Wormwood with my spade I felt connected to the earth and the process of growth and renewal. I talked to the bulbs as I placed them in the ground and encouraged them to weather the winter and grow in the spring. I hoped and wished for each new bulb and I simultaneously wished the same wish for myself each time. I know that I will get to the point of thriving, but first I have to just hold on until the stormy weather passes over me.

I know how oats, peas, beans, and barley grow. They grow with water, soil, sunshine, and worms. But they also grow with hope, prayerfulness, faith, and roots that reach down into the earth with strength and humility.

For my Leah.