share this with me please

[toad]

I wrote this in June 06, I have updated my years of sobriety....


“Every garden may have some weeds.”
English proverb

“Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel.”
Proverbs 20:3 NASB

I love my garden. Sometimes I find myself stressing over it when it is in need of tilling and weeding, but I still love it. I think that everyone who is recovering from alcohol and drug addictions should find a spot somewhere to grow plants. It teaches us responsibility for other living things. The garden spot that I have has been in my family for many years. My great grandfather had a garden there, my grandfather had a garden there, my mother growing up worked in the same garden, and now I have the privilege of using the garden spot for my summer vegetables. The garden size is 45 feet by 80 feet, and takes time to tend. Nine years ago when I first sobered up, by the grace of God, I planted a vegetable garden. It produced, but not really very well. The ground had lain fallow for several years and was what I would consider unhealthy soil. I see this in myself also at that time in my life. After years of personal neglect due to my self-centered addictions my physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual life was very unhealthy. I planted the next year with the same results, a below average harvest. The next two years after that were a little better, improvement was slow. Then I started using straw around some of the plants during the growing season to help keep the weeds down and I found that as I plowed it under the next year the soil developed a different texture, it appeared healthier. The next few years I applied lime and fertilizer and the results are very noticeable. Healthy plants don’t just spring up and produce a harvest; they must be cared for on a regular basis. One thing I have noticed about gardens is that you have to prepare the ground and sow seeds to produce vegetables, but weeds they just grow without any help at all. Strange isn’t it? I have noticed changes in my own life similar to my gardens over the past nine years. Most meaningful changes in our lives take time and continual care and maintenance. As I daily read the word of God, don’t drink or use, attend church, go to meeting and become willing to help others, the quality of my harvest is good, and seems to improve from year to year. There are many factors in having a healthy garden, soil, light, water, nutrition, but one of the most important factors is continual care. Neglect will overtake us very quickly when allowed. The weeds in our lives, which I call character defects, will overtake our gardens if we don’t daily tend to them. I am so grateful for the lessons that God has taught me about myself through the everyday things in my life. God is doing for me what I could not do for myself………………toad

[serenityqueen]

toad, you have a God given gift for writing. . . I was very moved by that.

Thank you for sharing that with us.

God Bless & Thank God . . . Just for Today,
Judy

[Klynn33]

that was an awesome story Toad, thanks for sharing

[Rarly Harley]

Beautiful, Brother...Thanks....

[The_Hammer]

The fact of the matter is that Bill W. says over and over again that : "A spiritual way of life" is necessary, not really an option at all. He goes so far as to say that those that cannot or will not find a Power Greater than themselves, stood little chance if any. There are so many references to this that I am staggered by the 'atheists" success in the program (Bless them all! I pray they have a lifetime of sobriety)

Right on toadster.

[BBD]

Toad, That was beautiful. I'm going to copy it and hopefully hand it to my son soon....I haven't seen him in 3 weeks but soon enough he will get ahold of my hubby....You do have a knack for writing...........and that almost brought tears to my eyes....Happy Gardening. Smiles, Bonnie

[ARIES]

enjoyed reading this...Thanks