Flora and the Garden

There once was a young woman named Flora who loved to garden. Ever since she was very young, she loved flowers – planting the seeds, watering them and watching them grow, and sharing their beauty with those she loved. She learned the process from the Master Gardener, and he would always meet her in the garden, to talk with her and encourage her in her work. As she grew up, she found that in the midst of struggles or times of joy, the garden was where she found quiet and peace. Whether digging in the soil with her hands or sitting still and smelling the aromas of the earth, she found a calmness in her soul. She would always leave the garden with some reluctance, but also feeling refreshed and energized for the day.

As she became an adult, Flora realized that growing up and gardening were sometimes at odds with each other. Gone were the days when she could spend countless hours planting and tending her flowers and visiting with the Master Gardener. She had to plan time to garden, which meant that sometimes her garden would go for weeks without her tending, and sometimes she would visit it every day.

During one particular season when she was gardening every day and enjoying life immensely because of it, a young man noticed her smiling face and asked if he could visit her garden. Flora was hesitant at first, because her garden was a very special place, but in time she saw how much the young man liked her flowers, and he even got along well with the Master, and she grew to trust him. He seemed to appreciate the time she put into her gardening, and he certainly thought her garden was beautiful. Flora had always dreamed that her garden would be seen and loved by someone special, someone other than the Master, and that when that someone shared in the beauty of it with her, the garden would grow even more lovely and full.

But soon Flora found herself torn between spending time with the young man and tending to her garden. Unlike in her dream, the two did not always go hand in hand. The young man had a busy life also, and he liked to play sports. Sometimes he could not understand why Flora liked being quiet in her garden so much, when he liked to run and play with his friends.

While Flora worked on balancing her time in her garden and also understanding the young man’s love of sports, another man came along. This man was older, and he had noticed Flora from afar and had been watching her. He approached her and told her that he wanted her to be his own. Flora was a little afraid, because the man had a dark look in his eyes and he spoke as if he knew about Flora’s garden, when he had never seen it at all. Only the Master had truly seen Flora’s entire garden, and his eyes would always be filled with light and love when he looked at her. Flora had a bad feeling about the older man, and she tried to explain it to the young man. But the young man did not seem to care or be upset about the older man. Flora had seen him be more upset about ball games than he was about the idea of this older man wanting Flora and her garden.

The Master Gardener was upset, but Flora could not see his anger. She was too busy looking at the young man and the older man to see the Master’s face.

Flora became confused. Did the young man not love her garden? Did he not want to protect her and her garden from the dark man? Did he not think her flowers were beautiful enough to fight for them and guard their beauty? When she asked the young man these questions, he responded with frustration and confusion of his own. He decided that he needed to leave Flora and her garden since he was confused.

Flora was saddened when the young man left. She had lost a friend, and her hopes for love were dashed. Then her fear grew as the dark man continued to pursue her. She cried out to the Master for help, and he helped her tell the man to go away. After some resistance, he left.

But the whole situation made Flora look at her garden in a different way. Even though the flowers were still beautiful and she knew that the garden was a place of peace where the strong Master dwelled, Flora saw the flowers as ugly, and she felt unsafe whenever she approached her garden. She did not understand why the young man did not love her garden enough to protect it, or why the older man would scare her with his advances. She felt alone and ugly, and like so many other times in her life, her garden began to reflect her feelings. Weeds grew up and flowers wilted as Flora neglected the place she once loved. But the Master Gardener stayed, watering the soil with his tears and waiting.

Fortunately, there were other people in Flora’s life who knew about her garden and found it beautiful. They were the ones who had admired her flowers and encouraged her to plant more each season. They continued to ask about her garden and to express sadness that the beauty of it had faded. But they could not change the way Flora saw her garden. They could only keep telling her that her garden was important and that they loved it and her.

With time, Flora began to see things differently. She began to miss her garden herself. She remembered how she felt kneeling in the dirt, the sun warming her back, the bumble bees buzzing around her. She remembered the sound of the Master’s voice, whispering in her ear and calming her heart. The memories made her happy and sad at the same time. She felt ashamed that she had neglected the beauty of her garden. How could she leave the very thing she loved so much? As she inched back toward the garden, she could see the Master’s tear-stained face. But he was smiling, holding out his arms. She knew that she had allowed herself to be deceived – that her garden wasn’t real and didn’t matter – when in truth, it was the truest and most important thing in her life.

Flora knew that it wouldn’t be easy to return to her garden. Just the sight of the weeds discouraged her, and doubtful thoughts filled her mind. What would people think – of the reasons for her leaving and her return? And what if the flowers did not grow the way she hoped they would? What if she had lost her touch? And how could she face the Master?

For a moment, Flora almost gave into the doubts and thought of locking her garden up forever. But the memories of beauty and peace beckoned to her, and she couldn’t resist the Master’s smile. The only way to silence the questions was to move forward – to pick up her tools, don her hat and gloves, and push past the squeaky gate – back to the place where she belonged… back to her garden.


And so, she returns.