Today, we started a new month – it’s May! We hope that means warmer days, green grass, and blossoming trees.

I returned Sunday evening from vacation and really “hit the ground running” Monday morning. (I learned the hard way that the end of the month is not a good time to return from time away…there was a calendar and newsletter to finish, monthly charges to do, etc., etc…)

Around 10 o’clock last night, when my shift at the front desk was ending, I was just finally running off copies of the newsletter for the residents.

Before I went to bed, however, I made time to open the packet of cabbage seeds I had received from my parents on my home visit. I took out some seeds and put them to soak in a cup overnight; I would plant them in the morning.

Sr. Rebecca had suggested starting them in empty milk cartons; I had been looking for a container to start them in before planting them outdoors toward the end of the month.

The seeds are so small, and the containers they are now in aren’t too big either. It’s a start, though. By late summer, hopefully, this will pay off, producing heads of cabbage. I hope we’ll also have peas, cucumbers, and beets, which I’ll plant in a few weeks.

It’s not just about the end product, however. A big part of the reason I started doing the garden here at St. Anne’s (actually, the main reason) is for the enjoyment of our residents.

During this time of various new starts in my life, this is a reminder to me of the value of the growing process, of life’s journey.

I don’t need to just hurry up and get it done; I should remember to appreciate the gift of each day, of each new start. I can be grateful for God’s care for the little garden of my life.