Our gardener

For as long as I can remember
As far back in years gone by
You would always kneel in a patch of dirt
Underneath a smouldering sky
During rainy days and storms
You used to watch and pray
Dear Lord have mercy on this precious soil
In which my garden lay

Then at dawn you would sow some seeds
Or insert new stems in the ground
At dusk again you would water the plants
Pull out some weeds and fiddle around
And still you would find some time in your day
To sneak back there it seemed as though
No matter what some people would say
You willed your garden to grow

As time went by and I was grown
I finally figured it out
It was never about the seeds you've sown
Or flowers that suddenly sprout
Those endless hours in the blithering sun
Before daybreak and before the day is done
Were the only time you had to yourself
When you could catch your breath
And ask the Lord for help
When you could seek His face
Receive His grace
And thank Him for everything
As you knelt out there on your knees each day
You would always hum or sing

What astounded me most I must admit
And it took me a while to realize
While you' were out there hands buried in the dirt
Your household ran smoothly inside
You taught me a valuable lesson
One I certainly must pass on
A mother in prayer is a blessing
A lighthouse in a storm

Then when you went on to heaven
You left an enormous gape
The garden became a desert
It withered and slowly fade
But I'm sure you've already started
To fill a position up there
Head gardener indeed would be a perfect fit
That really seems just and fair