What We Bring and What We Leave Behind

  

  It is shocking what an absolute ARMY of time and talent is required to prepare for the Memphis Botanic Garden Spring Plant Sale! And, by the way, lets use those words "time" and "talent" loosely; many of us bring only a couple of hours here and there and sometimes poor talent. There are, however, leaders who oversee this operation with time and talent in spades.  

    Willing volunteers were told to bring gloves and clippers but present themselves with much more than that: life experiences, garden lore, compassion and friendship. They bring to that few hours their past, present and future, cuttings to share and seeds to exchange, stories to share and hope or dreams to exchange and inspire. Most of all they bring acceptance, willingness and grace.

    But what do these volunteers NOT bring into the greenhouses? It is a funny picture indeed: all of their troubles in the parking lot of 750 Cherry Road  mingling with the cares of fellow gardeners: a disagreeable boss, missing or deceased pets,  addictions,  and family woes. Slouching in the cars and turning on the radios out of boredom are difficult neighbors, budgeting issues, and  business decisions, fears of the future and disagreements.

      For a few precious hours the multifaceted lives of the gardeners are focused on nothing more than the future beauty of a wretched looking bulb they are planting in the correct sized pot and good conversation with a fellow gardener. The problems they face in those greenhouse hours are ones they can generally solve or at least there is someone nearby who can.

    The lives of the volunteers weave into productivity and chatter; while out under the trees wander about  medical decisions, voles that eat prized plants, a dinner that went awry, politicians with whom they disagree, aging and ill relatives, wayward teenagers, car trouble, pressures and expectations. Should any of these woes come in on one's back it is soon sulking back to the car, unable to tolerate the caring warmth of community. And when the respite is over, life for the volunteer seems more manageable; courage, compassion and perspective have been renewed and imparted.

     Volunteers bring gloves and clippers, life, time, willingness to learn and to share, to be present and to befriend; they bring compassion, stories, hopes, inspiration, kind words and acceptance.
They leave behind trouble and cares and fears, finding in the greenhouse seeds of hope.