Putting Down Roots

With the recent purchase of our new home, GG and I have taken to our green thumb past...

I was a landscaper the summer before entering Princeton, flower planting, weeding, trimming, etc. for hours and hours in the hot sun. It was nothing less than slave labor, but I loved the feeling of having my hands in the dirt and wiping my face without a care of how smudgy it would look at the end of the day. GG was a Maine woodsman, attending over 10 summers of boys' camp at Camp Wynona in the beauty of nature and rustic living. He and his brother reminisce so fondly of their camp experiences--learning archery, forestry, sailing, and other unique "woodsy" skills. He so hopes we will oneday be able to send our boys off to camp... We'll see if this mama can let them go!

But I digress...

Our new yard is brimming with beauty, an absolute picture of landscaping wonder. The previous owners invested a bundle last year redoing the backyard and planned to live here indefinitely, only to change their minds and sell their house a year later. BONUS for us! We are already enjoying frolics among the rhodedendrons, azaleas, and dogwoods, to name a few.

But then we get to maintenance.

How in the world do we keep such a beautiful space thriving?

Our newest tip is to water less frequently, but for longer periods (upwards of 8 hours is the ideal! We (nor our water bill) CANNOT do this extreme!) in the early summer weeks. The idea is to provide ample water for the plantings and grass to encourage them to put down deep roots into the soil. This will allow them to thrive even in times of lesser moisture. Later at the end of summer/early fall, the watering should change to shorter, more frequent waterings after the roots have deeply established to make for a more hearty green space.

Whether or not we will approach yard maintenance in such a fashion, this green thumb talk has gotten me thinking. Just as the lawn and landscape take root, so God has blessed our family with the opportunity to renew itself in a new area. Here we are in a new city with a new church and the chance to make new friends. Yet as the busyness of unpacking and life establishment encroaches, God is calling us to put down deep roots, to water our soils in an attempt to establish ourselves in a Godly life, pleasing to Him. No doubt this will take ample hours of prayer, meditation, time in the Word... time that currently is "hard" to come by; time that we will have to make happen for deep roots to establish.

Last night I finally placed my Magnificat on my bedside table and realized that I have only two days remaining in the May issue. How sad that I have missed the last two weeks of Godly devotion and prayer direction due to our life craziness. Yet how hopeful it was to find it's June companion, brimming with a sense of renewal just beside it.

Today is a day to embrace.

Today is a day to put down deep roots.