Single Parenting: What Grows in the Weeds?

Oh, how I missed gardening when I was a single parent! Sad to say, I had to watch the weeds overtake all the hard work I had put into my former perennial garden. For me, weeds represented chaos. Something infringing upon existent beauty.

Weeds

In my head, though, I knew I would get a chance, one day, to make a beautiful garden amidst those weeds. My job, at that time of my life, was solely to take care of my two children. Looking back now, not such a bad deal after seeing how fast they grew and who they have become. Now, I have that chance to tackle those weeds.

Hat in wheat field

Happy Father’s Day

First, though, Happy Father’s Day weekend as I type in the middle of a thunderstorm. Such a welcoming sight to see rain pouring down in buckets to nourish all the plants I transplanted earlier this morning. Back east, thunderstorms are quite the show with lightning bolts and booms of thunder. But, as I was saying, this weekend we recognize our fathers! Happy Father’s Day to all fathers. You deserve it.

Water bucket

I grew up watching my father tend to landscaping and flower gardening around our home. He spent a lot of his spare time making our yard pretty by growing lots of flowers: cosmos, roses, and sweet peas come to mind; the smell of jasmine; and the sight of flowering fruit trees painting our sunny yard. I know my father’s passionate hobby rubbed off on me as evident by this week’s extravaganza. Thank you so much, Dad, for teaching me about nature.

Happy Father’s Day

Teamwork and Persistence

Well, I am happy to say, we are revamping our expansive perennial beds that have been living in continual weeds! Fortunately, my youngest child signed up to help assist with the digging, transplanting, weeding, and pruning. Such a blessing to have a second set of hands to tackle this undertaking. Ultimately, all of our teamwork and persistence will create a beautiful garden. One that is so pleasing to our eyes. Thanks to the summer pandemic, the weeds will be pulled.

Perennial garden
Close up of perennial garden

Surprise in the Weeds

Persistence! That is what I learned a couple years ago from the yellow rose. The rose I had been cutting down to the ground for the past five years. Sadly, I was mistaking it for a wild bramble.

Flowers & Garden containers

Well, life caught me by surprise, when one year the pruners missed the mark. I was greeted with a beautiful yellow rose on a healthy bush. As if to say to me, “How little faith you had believing there wasn’t any beauty in the chaos!” What else have I been missing by rushing around, trying to ensure order?

Yellow rose

Since that year, the hardy yellow rose makes its annual appearance. Its will to survive reminds me of how I felt as a single parent. This week, I made my way through the jungle of weeds to find the elegant display of the yellow petals. Such beauty arising amidst the disorder.

Close up image of yellow rose bush

Nature’s Beauty and Your Well-Being

With all of that said, in our world we are surrounded by chaos. From the pandemic to the protests. Yet, I am taken away momentarily while I pull, dig, and transplant in the garden. It’s the one place where I can lose all sense of time, and clear my head of invasive thoughts similar to aggressive weeds. Nothing can take away nature’s beauty, bound and determined to be noticed when we just pause to look.

Perennial garden

Happy Father’s Day,

Wellness For The Single Parent

Photography Credits
Photo by Kate Hliznitsova on Unsplash – Hat in field
Photo by Samur Isma on Unsplash - Bucket
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash - Garden and flower containers
Photos by Wellness For The Single Parent - Gardens and yellow rose

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