Transplanted

Our transplant process from Virginia to North Carolina includes building a new house. Some, like my husband, plunge into home construction with great enthusiasm. I, on the other hand, falter at the enormity of the tasks and choices. Reviewing house plans, selecting tile, picking appliances, and determining paint colors have stressed and overwhelmed me. I dutifully did my best, but it wasn’t easy or joyful for me. Then we started talking about landscaping. Suddenly I was engaged in garden planning, enjoyably doing extra research on regional flora, and coming up with ideas for the yard. Now I am scouting local plants on our walks and harvesting seeds. My green thumb is getting back its color!

I am not a master gardener by any stretch, though I have friends who are. I do not have a good eye for layout and design. I merely like being outdoors and trying new plants. I buy nursery plants, start flowers from seed, propagate plants or forage for seeds and salvage plants on the brink. I love ‘window shopping’ at nurseries and garden centers.

I have often thought to myself that it was a good day when I could get my hands in some dirt. Even repotting a houseplant seemed to tend my soul and cheer me up. This winter I was reading a book on brain health and came across an interesting finding. There actually is something to connecting with soil. The phenomenon is called “grounding.” Any physical connection to the earth, be it hands in the dirt, bare feet on sand, or wading in a stream somehow renews us. Timothy R. Jenkins, MD, writes, “coming into direct contact with the earth with one’s skin results in immediate changes in the electrical condition of the human body and restores a healthy natural balance.” I think we innately know this: don’t kids love to make mudpies, stomp in rain puddles, and dig in the sand? My mind really was feeling good after gardening!

Here again I see the amazing truth of God and word of Scripture being discovered in science. Yes, we were made to tend the earth (Genesis 2:15, Genesis 1:26). Though gardening and farming are plagued with hardship since sin’s corruption of the perfect creation (Genesis 3:17-19), remnants of the original blessing and design remain. God gives us the healthful opportunity to work the earth and be outside in His world. And Spring is coming, earlier in Coastal Carolina than in northern Virginia!

The book I read is The Aging Brain by Timothy R. Jennings, MD, 2018.

Author: Brenda Proulx

Wife, mother and grandmother, educator and someone who thinks about the things I observe. I am the daughter of a writer; my dad's career was in the field of journalism. More significantly, I am God's child, a person believing in Jesus Christ and in His timeless Word. Blogging is new to me but I feel like I've always had a pen in my hand. I jot notes in my planner, mark papers, underline verses, write many letters, and occasionally draft articles for work or church. When I am not holding a pen, I am probably cuddling a mug of coffee. View all posts by Brenda Proulx