Grow, Plants!

Being away from my garden for the past week (due to my accident), I'm thinking about it. Thankful that my roommate has taken on the job of keeping it alive while I'm away. But still wondering what its future will be...

I spent the better part of a late May evening out on my deck, ordering my little garden just so. First had to spread the whole thing with trash bags and cardboard so as to avoid raining dirt on our downstairs neighbor. Tiff, of course, when she re-potted all her stuff three days later, was smart and took her mess around to our front yard. My common sense, however, floundered and didn't make an appearance until later. Oh, well. This is how I roll.

Nearly two months later,my basil, cilantro, kale, and parsley are going crazy; the peppermint, spearmint, rosemary, and chives are catching up. Geraniums, Gebera daisies, petunias, phlox, and two very perky dahlias, nearly all gifts from students at the end of the year, are blooming happily. My thriving jalapeno plant is a constant enigma to me, since I don't like peppers. Every time I water it, I wonder, "Why did I buy this?!" But I'm happy it's growing nonetheless.

Part of me loves growing things. Each day requires just a little of me; a full watering can, a few blooms deadheaded, a mint leaf ripped and chewed just to assure the garden that it's doing its job. 

But part of me is wary of this garden thing, too, for the same reason. I know myself too well. I know my track record with things that require small investments over long periods of time. You see, I'd like to be able to complete it on the first interaction with it, to guarantee its success while I still have sufficient time and interest for it. 

Beginning the garden was delightful. Keeping it alive for this long: an accomplishment, to be sure. But unless I actually harvest and use these herbs, my efforts feel a little wasted. I hesitated at the beginning of this process for that very reason. My schedule and lack of time spent cooking the past month has validated some of those worries. 

So much of life is like this, though. Rarely is anything meaningful begun and wrapped up in one day. Relationships are built upon thousands of small investments. Books are written a few hundred words at a time. Painful experiences are healed through consistent, loving responses in the opposite direction. Slowly, always. Slow isn't bad. It's just how growth happens.

I'm seeing this as I recover from my accident, too. Each day, I have to rest in the understanding that while big recovery is not visible on a daily basis, what happens in all the tiny daily pieces matters. All I have is to be faithful with the small part that is in my hand on that day. I can't make myself heal, but I can drink another can of Ensure or take another nap when I'm supposed to...

I'm relieved to know that I'm not depending upon myself for growth. I'm depending upon the One who is faithful to begin the good work He's started. 

I do have a perfect model to look at when it comes to patience. I'm amazed that God is willing to participate in bringing growth and healing in us when it's such a messy, slow, discouraging process! When He opens our eyes to see and value the gospel, He doesn't automatically change everything within us. He allows His Spirit and Word to work slowly, from the inside out, and He doesn't give up on us along the way. 

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God is works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13

No Reading, Still Learning -- Just Different Stuff Than Planned

This will be brief. I'm not supposed to allow my brain too much time like this, but it simply drives me crazy not to write at all!

It was supposed to be the sixth week of reading. Never made it to posting week five (it's slipped on the priority list), and week six has involved no reading whatsoever. That's because I had an exciting incident which involved flying over the handlebars of a moped on Wednesday evening and landing on my face in the middle of Lake Street, which precipitated 48 hours at HCMC on the neuro-trauma unit, and then forced rest at my parents' since. 

Wednesday night, just after ER but after they cleaned me up.

I have a lot to learn about resting over the next month. First lesson: I do not do this well. Working on it.

Thursday. Yuck.

I AM trying to sleep more than usual these days. My little brother just walked into the living room and asked, "Megan, what time do you go down for your nap?" We both cracked up.

Saturday. Improving!

Gratefulness, which guards me in so many ways, is something I want to cultivate during this season. So I'll share my list today. I'm thankful...

...that we were wearing helmets on Wednesday night. Multiple doctors have told me that my helmet probably saved my life. 

...for nearby, competent, caring medical personnel. I was in good hands.

...for loving, encouraging words from every corner of my life (representing loving, encouraging people everywhere I go -- how did I end up being connected to so many amazing people like that?! You know who you are -- thanks!).

...for parents who are well in the habit of going above and beyond the call of duty. (I've been woken up at 6 AM every morning by my dad, who gets me my pain med and then prays for me before he goes to work. And the list of things my mom has done for me --grinding up food since I can't chew, constantly refilling my drinks, not even blinking when I threw up in her car, patiently helping me remember things like the order of the alphabet, listening to me tell the same story multiple times-- would be a massive blog post all by itself. And that's without any of the effusive commentary I'd want to include!)

...for Scripture which has come back to my mind even when I haven't been able to read it, and for all of the people who have sent me Scripture. (I've been particularly grateful for the many verses which have come from Li, Tiff, & Dave. Thanks, guys, for sharing your meals with me!) I laid awake early Thursday morning, highly frustrated by the fact I was immobilized, they wouldn't remove my catheter, and the doctors wouldn't come back for at least an hour. Peace came as I mentally rehearsed James 3, which wasn't even connected to the situation, but just truth. And truth is life.

...for an adorable nephew who keeps coming across the living room while I type and pulling my laptop screen down to share a flirty smile with me. He's not bothered by all of my wounds. :)

Today. Looking better! Wish the inside felt as good as the outside, but moving in the right direction...

OK, so I lied about this being short. But it felt so good to write. Might be a while before my next one, especially if the guardians of my recovery find out about this...

Summer Reading, Week Four

My reading list was much shorter this past week, so you get an image for every one!

Picture Books

*Splash! by Ann Jonas. If you have kids who are learning to count, I highly recommend this book. Animals sliding, falling, and splashing in and out of the pond make the count different on every page.












That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown by Cressida Crowell. I brought this book along while nannying this week, and we read it several times amidst much laughter.

Intermediate Literature

**One-Handed Catch by Mary Jane Auch. Great story. Set just after WWII, it's the story of Norman, a sixth-grader who loses his hand in an accident. I particularly enjoyed the tone and voice of this book. A bit smart-alecky, but not too much.

***Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. This is one of my three favorites so far! Best Newbery winner I've read this summer. Vanderpool weaves two story lines together in a way that made me feel like I was a part of the community she wrote about. Reminded me of Holes -- perhaps as good, even. (Coming from me, that's high praise!)






Teen / Young Adult Literature

**The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang, who lives in Minnesota! Excellent memoir of life as a refugee, first in Thailand and then here in Minnesota. I learned much about the Hmong people from this book.








Page count this week: 1,144. Eight fewer books than last week, but 120 pages more. They were some big books...

Summer Reading, Week Three

I'm rather behind in posting these, so no pictures. (I'm trying to keep my library fines under control this summer.) For some of the books, I'm not providing much of an explanation, either. You'll just have to check them out for yourself.


Picture Books
*Uncle Jed's Barbershop by Margaret Mitchell. Story of sacrifice and perseverance.

***What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. I drool over Steve Jenkins' paper-collage illustrations. They are unbelievable. There's a lot of interesting information packed into this book, too.


*Stellaluna  by Janell Cannon. Cute tale of a bat who is raised by birds.


Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs. An original tall tale.


 **Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin. Utterly delightful. Quite comical. And even educational. Three words I never thought I would use to describe a book about a fly.


***Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin. I read this book to a college rhetoric and research class when I was a TA. They loved it as much as small children do. Perfect illustration of the adage, "Never underestimate the power of the written word."


*Dandelions by Eve Bunting. Poignant story about a pioneer family going west.


Things That are Most in the World by Judi Barrett. The best book in the world to use for teaching superlatives. Also good if you just need a book to make your first graders laugh.

*A Drop of Water by Walter Wick (who is the photographer from the I SPY books). Beautiful non-fiction picture book using up-close photographs to teach about the properties of water.

Intermediate Literature

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Connelly. Sweet, happy, beautiful -- but not sappy. A book that I will be recommending to every elementary-age girl I know. (Not as much as The Penderwicks, but along those lines.)

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by David Borgenicht and Joshua Piven. The authors did all kinds of research for this fascinating book. I now want to buy it for myself, just in case I ever need to escape from quicksand, jump from a building into a Dumpster, or tell if a package is actually a mail bomb. It's also very quotable.

Teen/Young Adult Literature
**First Part Last by Angela Johnson. An urban teenage boy deals with becoming a father.

***Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. One of the best books of the summer so far. Powerful, and incredibly well-written.

Page count this week: 1,024