Hello Fellow Lady Gardeners!
I hope you had a wonderful past week and are looking forward to this week with anticipation and excitement! From the looks of the pictures being posted, many of you have some beautiful gardens and are harvesting all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Let’s keep those photos coming!
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As I thought about you all, the word “Encouagement” came to mind. It’s no surprise that “Encourage” is part of our mission statement for Black Girls Garden. The New Oxford American Dictionary describes “encourage” as a verb which means to give support, confidence, or hope to (someone). I had the pleasure of speaking with two members of the group this past week and these ladies really did just that. They definitely didn’t have to do this and it sure isn’t expected. They spoke about how much they enjoy the group and how they appreciate being a part of it. Sometimes we assume that people know how we feel, but it may make someone’s day to have you say it to them. A heartfelt thank you goes out to both of you and to all of you for being a part of Black Girls Garden.
In addition, there were some posts within the group this past week from some of our sisters in distress, who were not asking for money, but for food, help with plants due to being displaced or family illness. In this world where we have become hardened due to scammers and schemes, we are often reluctant to reach out to help. I ask each of you to search your own heart and do what you feel is right to be an encouragement to our sisters and others in need. But, most of all, let us not sit in our tents of judgement. Either we help or we don’t. But, let’s not put bad mouth on them. I ask that you whisper a word of comfort or prayer for them. An addition, because we are a gardening group, I ask that you to think about how you might share some of what you have with others. If you grow houseplants or flowers, you might surprise someone with one of your plant babies or some cut flowers from your yard. If you grow fruits and vegetables and you have extra, consider sharing some of your abundance with others. We just never know what we think to be a little thing may be a big blessing to someone else.
I grew up in a small town, in a neighborhood where if someone has peas, they rode up and down the road giving part of them to others. If someone had potatoes, they would drop bags of them off on the neighbors’ porches. I’ve even seen my maternal grandmother take a bag of greens from the garden to her doctor’s office to be shared among the staff. Some of my friends from the neighborhood and I were talking about people being homeless and needing food. We all agreed that we didn’t know of anyone that was in either situation when we were growing up. If someone needed a place to stay, someone took them in. Because everyone shared their harvest, everyone had food. I know that this was a simpler time and place. It wasn’t about monetary riches. But, how wonderful it is for us to be able to say that! Are there others of you who have had similar experiences? If so, please share them.
My gardening sisters, I ENCOURAGE YOU to keep up the good work and continue to share your photos and vast amount of knowledge. Regarding encouraging and helping others, imagine the impact if each of us 80,000+ women in Black Girls Garden decide to do our part make on the world around us a better place. By growing plants we’re already improving the air around us and helping to reduce our carbon footprint. What else can you do or are you already doing?
Have a Wonderful Week! Remember that You Are Awesome and as always, Happy Gardening! 🥬🍅🌻
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