Presence Of Things Beyond Flesh

Few people know me because I'm a happy hermit. I do my best work, my art and my writing, in solitude. And yet...I know we are communal creatures, and that is where our health and joy are ultimately nurtured. Over time, as my desire for solitude grew, I imagined being given a piece of land to work in the middle of a forest. I call it my secret garden, where I am free to build, to grow, to write, to follow the urgings of my soul. If someone happens by, I'll welcome them and offer them whatever they need for sustenance. My secret garden sustains me, but is not mine alone; it belongs to the universe itself, and we all belong to each other. In this place I have learned to care, first of all, for myself, in the freedom to sing whatever song I choose to create with neither judgment nor applause to deal with. As I have grown in that knowledge, I have learned to recognize that spirit in others if they happened to find their own path meandering over to my garden. I'm guessing we all have a secret garden somewhere in our souls. Perhaps we can harvest and share the seeds from the plants we grow.

Lovely, soulful, Pat. I relate much to what you express. Yes, the individual gardens are being nurtured - by the same Spirit, it seems. Consciously in those who have become sensitive ( like the author of the piece) and unconsciously in every human.

Thank you for your words. It always warms my heart to hear from another who is aware of "secret gardens."

So beautiful! Most people have “secret gardens”! (How else can one bloom?). Where two are gathered … or sacramentally married … there is division. Everyone of us stands on a different “life view” … different “life experience … different ways to work with different personalities … different DNA … different in MOST things. God and I have been hanging our in a secret place since the day He came to me when I was but a child. Though He is God, my Father. He NEVER stood ABOVE ME. He simply snatched me up and rescued me from a world I could NOT understand. I hear you. Amen