"A Garden Blessing" by Welleran Poltarnees

"When you enter your Garden,

 let it be as though you opened a magical gate

into a new and wonderful world . . .

A world ever chaging,

ever new.

Here all the cares of the world are shut out,

 and your challenges are straightforward and immediate.

Let your Garden teach you patience,

and remind you, daily,

of how much there is to learn,

how much to do.

May your Garden be a place where you can find peace . . .

where time stands still.

Let your Garden refresh your senses,

opening you to its myriad hues and scents.

And may it encourage you to listen to the hum of insects,

the songs of birds,

the splash of water,

and the sound of the wind through the trees.

Let your Garden offer you, many times alone,

and also a place of conversation

and blossoming friendships.

May you learn, in your Garden, to feel and to know

that all portions of the cycle of growth are good - 

from the first blossomings of spring to the fierce arrival of winter.

I wish for you shade at midday,

and also places to warm yourself in the early mornings and late afternoons.

Let your Garden reach out to you

even within your home.

May it fill you with the wonder of Nature's

endless variety, and the powerful force of

living things.

Know that your Garden is a place where you are needed,

where your efforts are visibly rewarded,

and where Nature cooperates with your wishes.

Let this be a place to be still and peaceful.

Let your Garden be an island

in the midst of life

where you vacation at will,

and are refreshed by its message of

endless renewal.

Know that the life you have given to your Garden

your Garden will give back to you."