"No one cherishes freedom more than those who have not had it."
Nikole Hannah-Jones
There are parts of my gardens in Lexington I totally neglect....where I plop things....holding places for extras and broken plants needing time to heal and rejuvenate.
Those parts of the gardens are hardly even seen close up unless you walk that way. And I hardly ever walk that way....and they were overrun with weeds.
But today I decided to start my weeding in one of those places at the far end of the garden behind the garage. It hasn't been weeded yet this year.
This is what it looked like before I started.
Those parts of the gardens are hardly even seen close up unless you walk that way. And I hardly ever walk that way....and they were overrun with weeds.But today I decided to start my weeding in one of those places at the far end of the garden behind the garage. It hasn't been weeded yet this year.
This is what it looked like before I started.
This is part way through.
Now the back end of this garden looks almost as good as the front end.
But there was a little surprise today....which is actually the best part of the story. Because I started weeding at the neglected end of the garden I walked around the side of the garage a number of times to dump my weeds in the bins in the driveway. One of the times I spotted a Jack in the Pulpit that came up through the stones. I've never seen it there before....but there is was.
I found this image on-line.
Do you see it under the ladder?....where sticks and hoses go to die. My first inclination was to dig it up and move it where I could see it on a regular basis. But in the end I decided to leave it for someone else to find....so they could also be surprised by joy.....and Jack.
At the very end of the day I took another look....it was all shriveled up.
I saw it just in time.
I started my day by reading an essay written by Nikole Hannah-Jones for The New York Times 1619 Project that examines the legacy of slavery in America. If I learned this stuff in school....I've forgotten most of it...or set aside because it was too awkward or painful.
It's never too late to be educated...or reeducated.
It's never too late to be educated...or reeducated.
"For generations we have believed in this country with a faith it did not deserve. Black people have seen the worst of America, yet, somehow, we still believe in its best."
Nikole Hannah-Jones
An excerpt from the article by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Thank you for the lovely story of this back garden and the surprise of finding Jack hiding there. And thank you for helping to educate us about some of the trials that people have suffered at the hands of our countrymen. Being aware is a start!
ReplyDeleteI love telling my stories....and I'm thrilled you liked it. I am just beginning my journey of education on racism....I've got a lot to learn and have been compelled to share some of that journey here. Thanks for reaching out!
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