There is a small stream at the far end of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden where I and many others just enjoy sitting. Unlike the more heavily flowered sections of the main garden, this shaded area is beautiful in its own forested way. But it is not beauty that I seek here, but tranquility – peace from the rest of the world, left to dream and let my thoughts go from excitement to quietness.
There is a bench next to the lawn that looks over this area. I sit there, oftentimes not long enough because I have other work in the garden that must be done. And sometimes I get up because I see some of that dreaded poison ivy on the ground in front of me.
Many black willows protect this area from the heat of the day, but also give the birds a place where they can eat their food. Sometimes their food is the berry from the poison ivy, yet they spit out the seeds to the lightly mulched ground below.
The battle never seems to end with the poison ivy. I use the Round-Up that is labeled "Poison Ivy" because it is more powerful than normal Round-Up. The oil that is on the top of the poison ivy leaves are not permeable by the normal Round-Up that most people buy. I use the "Poison Ivy" bottle so it will cut through that oil and allows the other chemicals to work. Many times I must apply a second coating a few days later because it has not killed it all.
On that day, poison ivy was the distraction that took me away from the tranquility. It could have been a loud noise, a person walking nearby, or just some random thought that passed through my head. But I know this, "God wants to return us to that place of tranquility and rest. The poison ivy events can come and go, but awareness of God's presence is where we find the depth of His love."
******************There is a bench next to the lawn that looks over this area. I sit there, oftentimes not long enough because I have other work in the garden that must be done. And sometimes I get up because I see some of that dreaded poison ivy on the ground in front of me.
Many black willows protect this area from the heat of the day, but also give the birds a place where they can eat their food. Sometimes their food is the berry from the poison ivy, yet they spit out the seeds to the lightly mulched ground below.
The battle never seems to end with the poison ivy. I use the Round-Up that is labeled "Poison Ivy" because it is more powerful than normal Round-Up. The oil that is on the top of the poison ivy leaves are not permeable by the normal Round-Up that most people buy. I use the "Poison Ivy" bottle so it will cut through that oil and allows the other chemicals to work. Many times I must apply a second coating a few days later because it has not killed it all.
On that day, poison ivy was the distraction that took me away from the tranquility. It could have been a loud noise, a person walking nearby, or just some random thought that passed through my head. But I know this, "God wants to return us to that place of tranquility and rest. The poison ivy events can come and go, but awareness of God's presence is where we find the depth of His love."
End Note: The overall theme for this series of articles is flowers and plants, showing how they point to love. Sometimes I write 'how to' do something, other times the emphasis is a status update, or the article will be about how a plant or flower touched my heart. All of these writings are based on plants from the Gethsemane Prayer Garden in Syracuse, NY. Please consider some of the other blog articles: Index of Articles About the Gethsemane Prayer Garden.
