The Great Awakening

Today was a delicious day packed with different weather patterns and full of activity. Blue skies in the morning, perfect for tilling up the garden, forming the beds, pruning all the fruit trees, (yes, I know it's a peculiar time of the year to be pruning, but it just felt right, and it's always worked before!), pruning the roses in the back garden (ditto, above!), digging the dandelions. In French, they're called 'dents des lions' which means teeth of lions, and I could almost hear them growling at me as I carefully removed them in one piece, tap root intact! It's so exciting to see that all the roses made it through the winter unscathed, and all have lots of strong, new growth starting up around the bottom of each bare stock. The climbing rose is totally out of control, and when things are just beginning to come alive, the old rambler is simply covered with new growth. It'll be a sight for sore eyes a little later on. We have added a couple of plum trees this week to our developing orchard, a generous gift from Sim and Lionel Fortin. Next week we plan to add another pear, a couple of apples, and a pair of cherries. That should do it for a while. There are forget-me-nots all over the place which gives a wonderfully domesticated feel about the place, despite the fact that our old chum, the naughty Black Bear, has come a few times to reorganize this and that. He wasn't at all sure that he liked the squirrel feeding station, and took tremendous pains to tear it all apart. Very clever of him to remove the squirrel house from the tree! He had to lift it up an inch or two and then pull. He tried to take the bench off the porch, but it proved too cumbersome for him, so he left his mark on it before stomping off. It's so lovely that we can all live in harmony with each other! A little heaven on earth...

To The Garden He Came

To the garden he came, silent and heavy.

To the garden he came, sorrowful, pleading.

In the dark of night he came,

Fording Kedron Brook he came,

Needing his Father he came

To pray.

He bade them to stay, except for the three.

He bade them to pray, on bended knee.

And so he went, and fell on his face,

And so He wept: Abba, gratiam Tuam da!

In the garden of Olives, all alone,

He relinquished His will to His Father's plan.

He relinquished His blood in the sweat that flowed

From His brow, in the garden, all alone.

He returned to the three, the sleeping three.

O, could you not stay on bended knee?

How weak is the flesh, yet the spirit strong!

Watch and pray. Watch and pray.

The chant is carried to us today.

The breeze soughed gently, that dreadful night,

The dove felt the rustling, took to flight.

The fruit of the trees, the olive trees,

Wept with Creator, wept in the night.

Wept throughout ages, that believers might

Along with the dove, feel the Saviour's plight.

Drink deeply, often, of the olive tree,

And remember the prayers that were prayed for thee.

Remember the Wind, the Oil and the Dove.

Remember the Anguish that was snuffed out by Love.

Remember, remember the Fruit of the Tree!