Still A Work In Progress

   I came across something that I wrote almost two years ago, and though the garden has changed, and the kids are a little older, the sentiment remains the same.....

  I love trees, shrubs and flowers. I also love landscaping. I especially like to draw out plans and decide where everything will go...the pergola here, perennial garden there, and the boardwalk pathway making it's way through the garden. I can picture in my mind exactly how I want it to look, and I can fill a Pinterest board with pictures and ideas pretty quick too! I also enjoy the work that must be done to get everything into place...wheeling the dirt around in the wheel barrow, shoveling, raking, planting. Even moving the pallets around to make the board walk wasn't bad. 

  But then comes the part I'm not so good at. Actually, I'm beyond terrible at maintaining the garden. It's hard to believe I came from parents who planted and cared for a huge perennial garden into their eighties! My parents' garden was one of the most beautiful I've ever seen; plants evenly spaced, always kept weeded, neatly groomed paths.....

  I loved their garden, but clearly I did not inherit their green thumbs...or their desire for perfection! This year (2014) we had such a late spring. Of course the weeds always grow faster than the perennials, and often it's hard to tell the difference. Besides the late start, there were other activities and tasks that took priority. Now, here we are nearing the end of August, and what was supposed to be a beautifully landscaped yard has become a crazy, wild jungle, with many unfinished projects!

  I can't help but compare my gardening to my homeschooling. I start out the season with well laid out plans.... Even though we lean more to the unschooling end of the spectrum, I still like to have some idea of what the coming year will look like, and so does the Dept. of Education! So I search through our bookshelves, and video collection, and find resources that I think the kids will be able to use and enjoy. I write out my plans for each child, and the subjects they will cover. I type up a colourful schedule for each one to follow...mostly for computer time to avoid fighting over whose turn it is! And we're all set for September to arrive.

  Some years, we get off to a good start, everyone working away on the program I've devised. But then the enthusiasm wanes, and the plans fizzle out. Other years, like the year we built out house, we didn't even think about school until the end of fall. Some people might suggest that we should perhaps consider sending our kids to public school, where they can get a more structured education; where they will be required to complete whatever course of study is set out for them, and honestly, I've had moments when I wondered if they were right!

  Then I look at my back yard. Yes, It's a bit of a mess; the goldenrod has taken over the perennial garden, and the pallet path is not quite finished...and I realize, it's okay. It's still a work in progress...not quite what I envisioned, but beautiful none the less.

But in one part of the yard, the tomatoes are thriving.......

......and you know what? So are my kids. I have a seven year old who can read and spell better than many adults. I have a twelve year old who reads more books than I can count, and is becoming a very talented cartoonist. And I have a fifteen year old who is a natural leader, enthusiastic in everything he does; whether it's sports, acting, singing, or hanging out with the mentors in his life. I can't take credit for any of my children's talents and skills anymore than I can claim responsibility for the beautiful wild flowers springing up in our yard! Given some space, the resources they require, and the freedom to grow in their own direction, and in their own time, (and in God's) they flourish.

 And I'll let you in on a secret....as much as I loved my parents garden, my dream has always been to have a wild garden filled with beautiful prairie flowers and grasses growing freely....each one unique, and beautiful in it's own way.

Thanks for stopping by!