What are you looking at?

I have historically strongly disliked yard work. I didn’t like it as a kid and my feelings toward yard work remained unchanged for a long time into adulthood. In fact, last year was the first year I started to actually enjoy some aspects of working in our yard and this year I am finding it therapeutic and dare I say it…Fun?😉

On Thursday a friend invited me over to cut 2 large bouquets worth of peonies - she has a HUGE garden full of several varieties of the beautiful flowers and she wanted to share them with us. While I was there choosing flowers my friend offered bouquets of peonies to a woman who was passing by on a walk as well. She was telling me about each different type of flower and she knew them by name. I have difficulty remembering names of people I just met so it was impressive to me that she could remember the names of each variety of peony in her flower garden. I brought this enormous bunch of flowers home and put them into two different vases - one is on our dining room table and the other resides in our daughter’s room. I found it was really fun to tromp through the middle of her flower garden selecting flowers for a bouquet and thought I might take on a flower garden of my own one day.

We planted a row of raspberry bushes along the fence on the side of our house about 10 or more years ago. They bear large, juicy and delicious raspberries for a couple of months each summer. Once they start to ripen, we have to harvest them every day if we don’t want them to over-ripen and fall to the ground. I used to really dislike that job because it is hard for me - especially in the heat - but I had to do it because no one else in my family likes picking raspberries either and I don’t want them to be wasted. Plus, they are a nice (and free) addition to our table at meal time. Last year though, I found myself looking forward to the daily task of raspberry picking. I really started to enjoy just being outside- alone with my thoughts while picking berries. I was actually surprised by my newfound enjoyment - especially since it takes energy I often lack and the bending down makes me dizzy and tires out my legs.

I have done some weeding and other yard work over the past 2 days. Today I tied up the raspberry bushes so they wouldn’t be laying on the ground and over the lawn where they could get run over by the lawnmower. This is normally a job my husband would do but he was working on staining our deck and I have taken ownership of nurturing our raspberries. They needed water too so I got out the hose and a sprinkler and watered them.

Yesterday I pulled all the weeds growing among the raspberry bushes. Today I pulled weeds out in the middle of our field of lupines - a few of which are starting to bloom. I also watered the lupines and the sunflowers growing in our back yard.

Another task I used to strongly dislike was dragging the hose out to do all the watering. The ground is uneven and I have sprained my ankle more than once moving the sprinkler around. Plus, my shoes get wet and dirty and I then have to be concerned with tracking mud into the house. But suddenly I enjoy even that job!

Why? Why, after detesting yard work my entire life, do I suddenly like it and actually find myself thinking up reasons I need to be out there working in the yard? I have thought a lot about this and I think I know the answer: God.

Yes, that’s it! Doing yard work is an opportunity to be out in God’s beautiful creation! My eyes are no longer turned down looking at the work ahead of me and just knuckling under and getting it done. Now, I notice every little thing.

Just before I started watering the lupines this morning I noticed a ladybug on one of the leaves. I had my son out pulling weeds with me and I told him about the ladybug. He asked me how many spots it had and then came over to count them - there were 7. 🙂. While I was watering plants I heard an eagle screech and looked up to watch a pair of them soaring high above my head. When there is water on the lupines, beads of water forms right in the middle of the leaves - and they sparkle like gems.

Yesterday while I was weeding between the raspberry bushes I found a small clump of clover and as I scanned them I found one with 4 leaves!

I took a picture before I yanked them out of the ground because clover, while it can be pretty, is invasive and I didn’t want it to choke out our raspberries so I wasn’t going to spare the clover just because one was a little unique.😉

I am always amazed by how creative God is and how I see something different every time I venture outside. I want more of that. I don’t want to approach yard work as a chore to endure but as an opportunity to spend time marveling at God’s handiwork. I am enjoying watching our sunflowers grow and I am curious to see how many lupine colors pop up. I am weaker physically and more unsteady on my feet than ever before and yet, I don’t find my work in the yard to be a struggle.

I mean, I DO struggle- I can’t squat down without falling and once I am kneeling in the ground I struggle to get back up again. I frequently lose my balance and I have to walk very slowly to avoid twisting my ankle or tripping. And I have to take rest breaks and sit down with a bottle of water.

But when I call it quits for the day and go inside, I feel really good. Tired, but I feel like I have been walking with God through the yard and talking with Him about His amazing creation. I feel so thankful for the beauty that surrounds me when I am outside and it makes me want to be out there as often as possible.

So, what I see depends on what I’m looking at. I am not just looking at a bunch of work that has to get done. I am looking at God’s creation and doing my best to lovingly maintain it. The closer I get to God, the closer I want to be to Him.

What are YOU looking at?