Rain and Rest

Four varieties of basil and a cluster of dill in our newly planted kitchen herb garden.

As happy as we have been for the sunshine and warm temperatures, we also recognize the importance of sufficient rainfall, especially while most of the plants in the garden are small and tender. Up to this point, we have been dragging hoses and moving sprinklers in our efforts to keep everything alive. For the past several days, the local forecast has called for rain. To our great disappointment, the dark clouds rolling in from the west have brought little more than cool breezes. Until today.

I cannot begin to express the joy and relief I felt when I awoke this morning to the sound of steady rain. As I looked out into the gardens, every plant seemed larger, greener, and stronger. I was especially pleased when I checked on the kitchen herb garden I planted late yesterday afternoon. The rain was exactly what the plants needed to ease their transition from greenhouse to garden.

For me, the rain also means a day off from garden duties. There's certainly plenty that could be done in the greenhouse, but there's not the same kind of urgency. The past few weeks have been quite hectic as we have wrapped up our school year, set out a few hundred vegetable starts, attacked the big spring push of weeds, and planted nearly two hundred seed flats. Every morning we hit the ground running and don't stop until it's dark--sometimes not even then. There's still laundry and dishes to do, groceries to buy, meals to make, baths to give, and bedtime stories to read.

At times it can feel overwhelming, and I must continue to remind myself, to whom much is given, much is expected. In other words, we would not have so much to do if we had not been blessed so abundantly. When the sun shines, we will be thankful and put our hands to work joyfully. When the rain falls, we will also be thankful and rejoice in the rest and refreshment it provides.