Photo was taken at Griffin’s Gardening Centre, Dripsey, Co.Cork (Irl)

It may have been the first of June yesterday but right across Ireland it just poured all day long! This colourful display at Griffin’s is hopefully a reminder that the worst of the rain is over for now.

Thought on Tuesday – June – 02/06/2015

‘Gardening is worth doing. Gardening is like life itself, a messy business, full of joys and disappointments. The sap rises and falls, the seasons wax and wane, the smell of damp earth and the scent of new mown grass bring us as close to the source of creation as we can be.’ ~Tom Doorey

The Gardening Festival ‘Bloom’ took place in Dublin right up to yesterday for 5 days. Thousands of people visited the festival, hoping to get some gardening inspiration and a chance to bring some idea, flower or plant back home. There are so many people who simply love their garden at home. It is their sacred space and their place to unwind and relax. It is a place where one can be creative and it is a place where one can also just be. Gardening is mindfulness at its best. They say when your hands are in touch with earth and soil, it is nature’s way of de-stressing you. Every garden requires taking the time to add your colour and design to it. Sometimes plants and flowers will fail and we are reminded how fragile life can be. Sometimes they will simply bloom in amazing colour and we are uplifted.

At the heart of gardening we are close to our creator and God. A reflective gardener when looking at beautiful flowers and the miracle of growth will know that it doesn’t happen just randomly. There has to be something much bigger to make it all happen. It is little wonder that many gardeners will also say that they feel closest to God when they work in their garden. Your garden is a precious gift just within your reach. It can be as simple or as expansive as you want. We thank God today and this weekend for the gift of our garden.