THE GARDEN OF CHILDREN

"Raising" children can be a difficult and rewarding experience. Most parent's take pride in their children as they grow from infancy to adulthood. The parent's ultimate goal is to have their child grow to be independent and successful. The parent's "thoughts of the heart" is to be loved by their children and remembered as a good parent. A parent raising a child is much like a gardner tending a garden. The gardner chooses a plot of earth and plants the seed within it's fertile soil. The gardner then waits with anticipation for the seed to become a thriving plant or beautiful flower. The gardner has a great responsibility to tend to needs of the garden. The gardner must cultivate and nurture his garden by providing it with the necessities of life ; a safe place, light, water, nutrients, and attention. Sometime the gardner has to keep the garden from harm; weeds, pests, litter, and inclement weather. As the garden grows it remains under the watchful and caring eye of the gardner. The gardner must take pride in his garden and nurture it daily with caring attentive hands. The end result will be a place of enjoyment, comfort and satisfaction. Remember all gardens require labor, the gardner cannot just plant the seed and walk away. If the gardner abandons or neglects the garden it will become trampled walked on, overgrown, and infested with weeds and pestilence, and eventually die. The abandoned or neglected garden is oftentimes mistreated, overlooked and despised. This garden can also invade and become a menance to other gardens, affecting their growth and appearance. However, the garden that has been neglected and abandoned is not lost. There is a "Redeeming Gardner", who has seen the garden and will come through the open gate. The "Redeeming Gardner" has more than enough love and time to bring the garden back to life and glory.