It’s been quite some time since my last post…nearly three years! That’s pretty long, by any measure, and especially long for a blog that is supposed to be focused on daily living. So, there’s the title: “weeding the garden” and it’s “again” because I’ve been here before. But, that’s OK, because we begin again, and we’ve learned and changed since the last time.

I recently preached at our Ash Wednesday services and quoted a story from Rowan Williams’ wonderful book, “Silence and Honey Cakes: The wisdom of the desert.” Williams retells many stories in his book (shared from the tradition of the desert mothers and fathers), but one that spoke to me was a tale of a young monk who fell out of his daily spiritual practices and couldn’t get his prayerful routine back on track. Seeking advice from a wise monk, the elder tells a story of an overgrown garden…so overgrown that the man told to weed and bring it back to order is filled with despair and falls asleep! The slumbering man is roused by his father, who tells him he need not be overwhelmed, but simply do a little at a time, and the garden will soon be back in good shape. So, I begin my Lent with this advice too – a little at a time, and trust in the faithfulness and presence of God. This is what I have often discovered when I return from wandering on my spiritual practices: it is I who have wondered away…God was here all the time, waiting for me to return. Williams also writes in his book (regarding hearing and responding to the voice of God), “there are no guarantees we will be positive the voice we hear is that of God, but if we are faithful in our reflection and choice, we make space in ourselves for the life of Christ and the creative movement of God…and that space, by itself, means we have already drawn closer to God, even if we didn’t get it exactly right.” So, I’m starting my Lent with a few moments of picking some weeds, and making room for the creative movement of God in my life. I hope you will join me!