Finding My Passion And Myself

Anyone who knows me will be surprised to know that I am the author of a blog. I have always been a private person. Keeping most at bay, not wanting to give too much of myself for fear that more might be asked of me. I kind of floated along, not really caring about the needs or wishes of others. I thought that I was happy. That was my way of surviving.

And then one day I found myself sitting in a doctor's office listening to the words "you have stage 2 breast cancer" ! In shock I asked the question, "how life threatening is it?" I was told maybe 50/50. At that moment my life was changed forever. I went from being a keep your distance kind of person to being an Onion whose layers were slowly peeled away. There were no more secrets, no more hiding, no more being locked away inside myself. For once in my life everything about me had to be out in the open in order for my doctors to help save my life. Not only was my life saved but my soul was saved in the process.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with gardening. And why do I need to go there? I need to go there because now 6 years later I'm still cancer free & I have a whole new outlook on life. I've grown like a plant. For years was just a pretty little bush hanging out in the garden of life. But now I'm blooming!!! I'm blooming with love, hope, trust, honesty, respect & loyalty. I feel like a tree reaching toward the sky. I'm growing new branches daily and I want to extend my branches to others.
I've learned that we can not live in this world alone. We are all connected. We must stay connected if we are to survive as a human race. This is my attempt to reach out and get to know others who have a need to be connected to someone with like experiences.

Once I came out of my cloud of depression and started living again I found gardening. I have lived in apartments for most of my adult life and always had house plants. But a little over a year ago I bought a house and that's when I found my passion. It's a modest home, big enough but not too big. What I found exciting was that the front and backyards were almost totally void of any plants except for grass. Blank canvases. Since I'm retired, I had all the time in the world to devote to transforming my front yard and my backyard into gardens. And that is just what I have done. In just about a year and a half I have created a living paradise. I call it my enchanted garden.

Not only are there flower gardens, but I've installed a 2 tier pond, bird feeders, fountains, chimes, sitting areas and stepping stone paths throughout the gardens. It is truly my sanctuary... I read, meditate,visit with my friends,or just sit and enjoy the beauty of nature. The birds & butterflies are my constant companions.

My goal here is to share my gardening experiences in the hope of making someone else happy. If I can do that, then I can share my blessings and my love with the world.