In the Garden – inhale peace and exhale gratitude
The Lord God took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to farm it and to take care of it. – Genesis 2:15
Friday turned out to be another garden emphasis day here at Maul Hall, and certainly not the last of this late spring weekend. With the summer heat beginning to seep in there is still a lot to be done and a lot of potential to cultivate. Then of course there is always the “one things leads to another” phenomenon that keeps the garden centers so busy and profitable.
For me this meant three trips to Lowes and more than a little extra digging.
What I am most excited about is my herb garden. Every year Rebekah makes sure I have what I need, right there on the deck just outside the kitchen. So now I have Rosemary, and Thyme, and Basil (both sweet and a cinnamon variety with a captivating aroma), and Oregano, and Sage, and Parsley.
Life has been a little crazy of late, to the extent that my cooking has been less imaginative. So having all this at my fingertips – plus the fresh vegetable stand just walking distance from the house – should encourage some culinary highlights over the summer.
Then we relocated one of our favorite Japanese Maple trees to a larger container, and dug some holes in the clay for transplants, and went back to Lowes for more soil, and watered like crazy because – just when we need some – the rain seems to have taken a holiday.
But I don’t have to worry about paying the water bill for a while, because it turns out that “City” is right next to “Chase” on my check-writing software and this month I accidentally paid for water probably through the end of October!
Whatever is going on in your world this weekend, take a moment or two to stroll in the garden, take a deep breath, inhale the peace that is always found there in the places we work in partnership with God, and then exhale gratitude.
– DEREK
Herbs 
another Lowes visit 
developing a new border 
hydrangea
garden gourmet life life Living Gratefully photography Genesis 2 gratitude herb garden kitchen garden Wake Forest
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Derek has published seven books in the past decade (you can find them at https://www.amazon.com/Derek-Maul/e/B001JS9WC4), and there’s always something new in the works.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Derek taught public school in Florida for eighteen years, including cutting-edge work with autistic children. He holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and education from Stetson University and the University of West Florida.
Derek is active in teaching at his church: adult Sunday school, and a men’s Bible study/spiritual formation group. He enjoys the outdoors, traveling, photography, reading, cooking, playing guitar, and golf.
