– The Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east and put there the human he had formed.

Genesis 2:8

One of the great things about having two homes side by side on our cul-de-sac is the unique opportunity it affords to approach landscaping as one extensive canvas.

Obviously the dominant feature is the scores of trees. But there is enough going on, especially with the shrubs, ornamentals such as the Japanese Maples, and features like the path between the two houses, to keep things interesting. The real challenge is to keep our interventions manageable, given the fact that there is a lot going on and limited strength in our backs.

Rebekah, of course, can’t help but get her hands dirty on a regular basis. She both loves the work and feels compelled, as if the dirt is calling to her.

So Monday, when we had an afternoon tea break in the middle of her purposeful mess, my mother made her way over to join us. This is what Max loves the best; all of his people, together, so he can be right there in the middle.

Personally I have this love hate relationship with gardening. I don’t like to get started, and I always have other things I would rather do; but once I get going I always enjoy the hard work. Especially on spring days this beautiful.

It helps that Rebekah knows what she is doing. But on a day like today it’s going to be all about cleaning up debris from the weekend storms (hundreds of small branches and pinecones, along with all the weeds Rebekah has pulled over the past few days), then hoping that my temperamental mower decides to start for one more season.

God has given us some great raw material to work with here in Wake Forest – just like our lives. What we do with the opportunity is both an every day challenge and an every day joy.

I’d better get to it – DEREK