Yo howdy All y’all! This is the day Creation hath made, let us rejoice in it!
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God… This is the first and great commandment. And the
second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
(Matthew 22; 34-39 KJV)
Days and nights of freezing temperatures have come and gone – likely to return – but our gardens are still
offering produce – sufficient still to supplement the soups served to the hungry, unhoused patrons of Angel’s
House Soup Kitchen. More of our housed neighbors are now helping in harvesting, and please know that
your own harvesting is welcomed also as beneficial volunteer activity. Harvesting the lower leaves of the
various winter greens encourages new growth at the top and sustains the cycle of abundance.
In January we had one individual devote a significant amount of energy along the edges of our garden. They
restricted their activity to the public easements – along the alley, down the right-of-way along San Antonio
Street, and up the sidewalk of 12th Street. It was a startling and impressive investment of energy; sadly an
expression of individual frustration evolved into an intense rage. On discovering the damage, Pastor Layne
was stopped in the street, compelled to immediately begin clearing debris from the sidewalks and streets.
“Look for the helpers…”
We can contemplate the agony of the individual responsible. What conditions in their life experience, what
frustrations and disappointments were they experiencing? How intense their frustrations and anger must be
to turn into an expression of rage? Yes, how grateful we can be that this rage was not directed towards
another individual but “therapeutically diverted” towards a landscape.
Some plants were uprooted, larger plants broken from trampling, thick branches of various shrubs – many
with thorns – even living crepe myrtles and chaste trees were broken by hand. Imagine such mental anguish
diverted into such physical pain.
All of the plants trampled, and branches broken were in need of winter pruning; more refine trimming is
ongoing. All the organic debris is being used as compost and for further structure in terracing. The energy
invested in vandalism enables work that needs to be done.
I’m reminded of Pete Seeger’s song, “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, based on Ecclesiastes 3.
“To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn
And a time to every purpose under Heaven…”
Be well know joy.
Phil