Life and Gardening: From Seedling to Harvest

There’s something deeply poetic about gardening—a process rooted in patience, growth, and transformation. As I kneel in the soil, placing seeds one by one into the earth, I was reflecting on how gardening mirrors life itself. From birth to death, from the first tender sprout to the final harvest, the journey of a plant is not so different from our own. Something about the physical labor, warm sun on my back and dirty hands always makes me very relaxed and allows my mind to wander.

Planting the Seed: The Beginning of Life

Just like life begins with birth, gardening starts with a seed, and a wish. Each seed holds the potential of something beautiful, strong, and purposeful—much like every new life entering the world. But that seed doesn’t grow overnight. It needs time. Warmth. Nourishment. Encouragement. Just as a child needs love, safety, and guidance, a seed needs fertile ground and a little faith to break through the surface.

We all start small. Vulnerable. Uncertain. But there is so much possibility hidden inside each of us—just waiting for the right conditions to come alive.

Nurturing Growth: Seasons of Change

As the seed grows into a seedling, life begins to take shape. There’s excitement in early growth—first steps, first words, first smiles. But growth is never linear. There are setbacks. Storms. Days when the sun seems too harsh or the soil too dry. In gardening and in life, there are seasons of abundance and seasons of struggle.

Yet with care—water, sunshine, time, and love—growth continues. The plant becomes stronger, adapting to its environment. People do the same. We learn. We stretch toward light. We weather life’s unpredictability. And often, we grow the most when it’s hard.

Full Bloom: The Prime of Life

Eventually, a garden begins to flourish. Blossoms open. Fruit appears. The plant steps into its full expression, much like we do in adulthood. These are the years of contribution, purpose, and passion. We build careers. We raise families. We invest in our communities. We bloom.

But even in bloom, the work isn’t over. Just as gardeners must continue to tend, prune, and protect, we must also maintain balance, nurture relationships, and care for our well-being. Growth doesn’t end once the fruit arrives—it simply takes on new meaning.

The Harvest: Reflection and Legacy

Then comes the harvest. A time of reflection. A time to enjoy the fruits of labor. In later life, we begin to look back—to savor, to share, to teach others what we’ve learned. We begin passing on our knowledge. Wisdom, stories, traditions, love.

Being in this phase, having grandchildren I really can see the correlation, it's such a blessing to see your child, have children of their own. Truly a circle of life moment.

And just as every season eventually shifts, we too move toward the end of our cycle. In nature, the plant returns to the soil. In life, we return to rest. But even in death, the cycle continues—our influence, like seeds scattered on the wind, helps future generations grow.

The Beauty in the Cycle

What gardening teaches us is that every stage of life has value. Every struggle has purpose. Every bloom is worth the wait. And just as we trust the process in a garden, we can trust it in ourselves.

Tend to your soul like a garden. Be patient in your seasons. Celebrate your harvests. Rest when it's time. And always, always keep planting seeds—for beauty, for love, for the next life to bloom.

With Joy......Lynn