We've been bloomed!

The phrase in the title of this post was coined by James, after I tried to explain to him why all of our extra sneezing was coming from the trees in bloom.

The older I get and the more children I have, the more I love to garden. We are having so much fun with the kids this spring- fun playing in the dirt, loving their joy at seeing each bulb pop up out of the ground, wondering what kind of flower it will produce, and hearing their funny little expressions. ("Oh mom, just look how well the dandelions are growing!")
I have learned that it doesn't take much to make a garden- just a little labor and imagination. We currently live in a not so great neighborhood. When I started weeding the beds out front by the street, I had to wear thick gloves to protect myself from the many shards of broken beer bottles and other trash that had been lurking in the dirt for who knows how long. The yard next to us is a small mechanics shop, mostly made up of concrete and metal and even a little barbed wire. The house on the other side is a little more presentable, but nothing lovely. With such surroundings I was tempted to think that trying to make something nice out of our yard was pretty pointless, but I plugged away anyway, planting bulbs last fall, and planning flower beds. When my sister visited, she treated me to several flats of bright flowers from the local nursery, and planted them in big pots across my porch. Steve is currently building some raised beds for vegetables.




I have been amazed at the impact our little actions have made on this rather sad neighborhood. People who I see walking by on a daily basis staring at their shoes, now stop to look, to comment, to appreciate even my little attempts at beautifying. My daffodils are bent from trampling feet and half the yard has been tilled and replanted with new grass seed, but people still admire the color and symmetry of the flowers, despite the imperfections around. It's a simple kind of ministry.
So I am thankful for this spring, thankful for the allergies, and thankful for the perpetual handfulls of dandelions being brought to me by grubby little people. Here's to being bloomed!