Sowing Seeds in the Soul

I have loved this poem ever since I was a child.  The one I remember has a few different words, but I recall it each spring when I venture out into my own garden to begin cleanup.  It was also this poem that sang in my head (or was it my heart?) when I decided to go to the Chicago Botanic Gardens on Tuesday.  The moment I stepped upon the first path, I felt that sense of calm that only a venture through a garden brings.  Something about Tuesday's calm was different however.  I had no thoughts, no plans, no sense of time; I was relaxed and completely present to the moment.  I felt a bit odd, though, because normally I would be thinking about the beauty of God's handiwork in the feast of the senses I was experiencing, yet I just had no thoughts....  I walked wherever my feet decided to go, stopped whenever my camera aimed at textures, colors, patterns, and 'nature moments'.  Passing the gardeners at their labor, I even felt like I was planting and cultivating with them in preparation for the garden wishes that summer grants.  When I viewed my photographs the next day, I recognized how each little moment of my garden stroll had been a seed for the spiritual nourishment of my soul, filling it with peace and a love that cannot adequately be put into words (because words aren't necessary).  It had been the Holy Spirit's way of teaching me about contemplative prayer; an expression of prayer I admire in the saints and wondered how to practice.  In the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2709)  St. Teresa is quoted as saying:  'Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.'  That is what Tuesday felt like - that close sharing and peaceful love - only now I realize which 'friend' I was sharing with.  In being completely present to the moments of the garden, I experienced what it is like to be completely present to God.  I didn't have to feel odd not thinking about God; I was already walking with Him.      

Image credit:
(http://www.slatelady.com/photogallery/images/garden_poem_slate.JPG)