By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener
I have always believed that God is in everything. There can be nothing on Earth to which this idea applies more than a garden. Don’t forget — one of God’s first creations was the Garden of Eden. George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “The best place to find God is in a garden.”
For me, gardening has become a spiritual quest. I would like to say I have been a gardener all my life, but truthfully, I hated pulling weeds as a boy and never pursued working in God’s earth until I was unexpectedly thrown into hosting a radio gardening show more than four decades ago.
Now, my life revolves around my family, the small patch of ground where my house sits, and one of the most exquisite and sacred settings in Raleigh — the church grounds of St. Michael’s.
When I need to relax from the daily grind or pray about life’s difficulties, I come to St. Michael’s. I walk the labyrinth path, sit on a bench and try not to think — just breathe in the fragrances and absorb the beauty around me. Yes, I still pull weeds and plant shrubs, trees and flowers — though not as often as I’d like. It’s my small contribution to the eight acres donated to our congregation more than 60 years ago. It’s a mission — a spiritual mission. Few things feel more sacred than working the soil of a church campus.
In 2009, I decided to contribute more to my church than the typical Sunday duties many of us take on to lend a hand. I attended my first grounds committee meeting — and left that chilly March evening as chairman. My head spun at first, but I took it as a sign that God wanted me to grow spiritually and deepen my gardening education.
Eight years later, I’m still the chairman of the grounds committee. Joining that group and devoting myself to a part of God’s work has introduced me to some of the finest people I’ve ever known. We affectionately call them the “lay weeders.” They are dedicated members of our parish who, along with our groundskeeper, Jesus, nurture these grounds with the love only a gardener can feel.
One of my favorite garden prayers reads:
“Help us, O God, to be ever mindful of the beauties around us. May we grow with our flowers in gentleness, patience, courage, laughter and faith.
As we turn the brown soil and plant our seed, may we learn faith — in the goodness of the earth, the clemency of the sun, the fullness of the clouds.
May we be grateful for the privilege of being coworkers with God in the creation of even one tiny flower.
And grant that we may know the great joy that comes from sharing with others.”
Yes, God is in the people, the buildings and the gardens of St. Michael’s. From the succulents and mondo grass in the Memorial Garden to the fragrant winter daphne in the Manly Garden to the roses that greet parishioners and visitors season after season, the gardens of St. Michael’s are a part of God’s creation and our spiritual education.