“A tree is a poem that the earth writes upon the sky.” – Kahlil Gibran

We don’t have a big garden to deal with here on Saint Patrick Street. And we’re pretty-much glad about that for a number of reasons. First, our yard was essentially wasteland when we moved in (Yes, Aaron put in that lovely strip of grass before we closed, but the rest of the lot is a complete blank slate).

Then, once we manage to get the landscaping set up the way we envision, and no matter how carefully we plan, even low-maintenance will never be no-maintenance!

Thirdly, trees. We had probably 150 or more in Wake Forest and some of them were enormous. But here there are – let me count – just three mature trees that belong to us, two new trees we recently planted, plus one neighbor’s tree that likes to reach over and has been trying to mess with our roof.

Rebekah and I both love trees, but a handful is as many as we want to take care of going forward. So we asked the guys at DC Tree Cutting and Land Service to come out and square things away. They did a stellar job trying to save the life of one specimen (time will tell), lifting the branches of three and generally trimming things up so they all have a chance to thrive without growing into our house.

it is easier to do what we can do when we understand – and accept – what it is that we can no longer do.

I am not sure exactly where I am going with this post except the idea that, while we love being effective stewards of the gifts God has assigned to our care, it is also good stewardship to understand our limits when it comes to what we can care for anymore.

Rebekah and I are no longer equipped to handle a big garden. So we are scaling back. And a garden is a lot like a family, requiring tremendous reserves of energy and time and a long-range plan… along with the wisdom to know what we can – and what we cannot – take care of anymore.

It is actually easier to do what we can do (and do it well) when we understand – and accept – what it is that we can no longer do. I don’t necessarily like that fact; but not liking it does not make it any less true.

Regardless, I am grateful to be here, immersed in this incredibly rewarding project on Saint Patrick Street, giving it everything I have but at the same time more than ready to discover what this new life will look like once we are finally settled in.

As The Teacher wrote in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a rhythm to life… or at least there should be – DEREK

There’s a season for everything
    and a time for every matter under the heavens:

God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in [our] hearts… – Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11