On this 4th of July we are so excited to visit all the parades and festivities in the communities around us. It may be just another day in your life but to some it is a day of freedom! There are so many different ways we all celebrate it. But I want to share a bit how we the Nelsons share this day with others.

Our grandparents have this spot in their backyard that they have put a train track that winds around a pond, stream, and other things that take up the space of about a basket ball court. This area began as a very well kept garden gem. But over time they unintentionally let the weeds grow, the trees to sprout, and the wildlife take over the area. It was slow but it was gradual and over time you couldn’t even see the rails for the train. And the ponds disappeared and the beauty of the natural growth of the forest over took the garden.

 
This is very true to our lives sometimes we let things go, we forget to pray, don’t get in our personal reading in, and just stop taking the time to weed out the negative. Yes, there is still beauty in the plant life and plants that take over, but we loose site of the purpose of the garden and the dream of why we have the garden in the first place.

My children and I took on the task of removing the forest and to redeem the beauty of the garden to the train track. We had to remove the overgrowth, and uncover the track. It took a good two months of hard work but we did find the train. It was very rewarding to see the garden re-appear. It was like watching a painting being revealed after being covered by a veil. It was really special.

 
However, hard it might be and how rewarding it is to have the experience of watching the beauty re-appear it would have been so much easier to just maintain the weeds, and shine the track regularly.

It is interesting how freeing this is, to have the garden in our lives. It brings purpose to the space, it gives reasons to gather, it invites the interaction of nature and man. I am convinced that we have to do the same in our lives. We have to add positive value to our daily learning that gives us greater purpose and beauty to serve the friends and family we interact with. I am so grateful for the freedom that we are given to choose the good.

“The great revolution in the history of man, past, present and future, is the revolution of those determined to be free.”
– John F. Kennedy (35th President of the United States)

Happy 4th of July!

 

 

Keep on Keeing ON!