Learning to Embrace Mint: Freshness for Your Garden and Soul

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Hello, my beloveds! The new baby chicks are in the house, scratching and pecking and chirping, the goat fence is up, the snow has melted, and the sun is shining today! Finally! Oh sure, there’s still dishes in the sink and junk scattered throughout the yard, but things are moving in the right direction… I think. Maybe it’s all coming too fast. The garden has started sprouting already and I was hoping to get it looked at before that happened. Still. I’m feeling good, so let’s not focus on the other side today, okay? Let’s just dive in to our muse of the week, shall we, and forget about all the stuff we gotta do for a short, five minute read? The stuff will be there when we get back.

Okie dokie, I was musing about what plant to focus on for this week and came up with mint. Realistically, I was thinking about catnip, but it’s in the mint family so I’m blending it all together. We were chatting about catnip at work, and my cats seem to like it… well, one of them does anyway. The other could take it or leave it. The warning with catnip, though, is that it, like most herbs, spreads like crazy in the garden. So if you plant it, thinking you’ll just grow a bit for your kitty, you’ll soon be overwhelmed and have enough for the entire neighbourhood of cats! So plant it in a pot.

Likewise for “mint”. I’m wondering if my bunnies would like a mint herb? There are just so many summer garnished desserts one can make with a fresh sprig of mint leaf. How can I justify growing vast, spreading plants? Do goats like it? I was at the dentist yesterday and requested mint polish…maybe that’s an option. (Giggle). Mint jelly! With lamb. Nah, couldn’t raise lamb. Mojitos? I don’t drink enough for those either. Anyway, mint was on my mind.

I was thinking about mint in context of the Passover meal. Symbolizing “spiritual freshness and cleansing”. Kinda like the dentist appointment. Fresh and clean again. Traditionally mint was thought of in line with purification. This is how I know it in the biblical context. Yet, I also discovered a few other associations I had not known. And so I share….

First, Mint may represent Hospitality. Perhaps after you cleaned your house all minty fresh? Or with those mojitos. I’m not sure what you do with the mint that makes it part of “hospitality”… but Google tells me so. So, now I have told you. The other one was also new for me. It stems from a story in Luke 11 where Jesus rebukes the pharisees. Usually, this story focuses on cleaning the outside dishes and not your “insides”… which are full of greed and wickedness, but a tiny mention in verse 42: “For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God…”

Mint container Photo credit: medowlarkjournal.com

Remember how I said mint flourishes? Obviously, the leaders were giving tithe of that abundance and it wasn’t really any sacrifice at all. A tiny income from our garden. Little effort required. So. Hospitality, freshness, abundance and giving wholeheartedly. Did you get all those? I’m learning, that even when things are not totally clean, and my farm is a little crazy with half finished projects and chicks in the house and mud and chaos and an already growing garden that hasn’t been tidied up yet, that my friendships must take precedence. I hosted our small group with supper dishes piled in the sink. Shocking!

I’m not good at that. I get overwhelmed a little. I dream big and fall hard. And usually that involves something alive to take care of. Which, don’t get me wrong… the creatures are well cared for and loved… but they take up time. I am aware. And now you are too. Thanks for following along in our journey of chaos, where we gather spiritual tidbits of inspiration along the way and try and follow the straight and narrow. It’s a little messy, but maybe a little mint will freshen us up as we travel along and purify our hearts a bit today! Until next time!

Why Easter Lilies Symbolize New Beginnings

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Hello again my beloveds! It’s been a minute, but here we are. I don’t know where the time is going! I just can’t seem to wrap my brain around blogging lately. There has been plenty of opportunity, but very little motivation. Maybe it’s the weather. It’s raining — again. This spring has been very, very wet. The ground is wet, the firewood is wet, my bunnies are damp, and no one is happy. Although a few things have been slowly moving forward… we have fence posts in for the new baby goats! And spring day old chicks come tomorrow! So, despite not being able to do much around because everything is soaking… time continues to move on. I suppose it is one thing we simply cannot stop: Time. Even in the rain.

I wanna go back in time for a minute. A few weeks ago, we celebrated one of, if not the most significant events in history. Easter. It was an unusual Easter weekend for us… kinda busy with a lot of travelling to see family (which are further away now), but nonetheless wonderful. Easter, of course, is when we commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus. A poignant celebration in Christian faith. We’re still getting used to our bigger church and a larger church family, so it wasn’t as “intimate” as I’m used to, but worthy of mentioning. Chocolate treats and fancy meals with family notwithstanding.

Easter and Lilies

Yet, we must circle back to our little plant theme we’re currently following, and chat about Easter lilies. Our sanctuary was decorated with them, and we used to have many in the city. So, how did the lily get associated with Easter? I didn’t know. So, like all good bloggers, I googled it. Google tells me the trumpet shaped, white flower has been traditionally associated with purity, rebirth and new beginnings. The shape reminds us of a trumpet… announcing the resurrection of Christ and His return. Obviously, new beginnings are what spring is all about… so it makes sense. A pure white flower. Okay, I get it.

Honestly though, I am not a fan of Easter lilies. I do not like their very pungent fragrance, they are extremely toxic to pets, and are messy…dropping pollen everywhere. Plus, they remind me of death. I don’t know why, but they seem to be in every funeral bouquet. I suppose it has something to do with that hope reborn association. Sorry to those of you who love ’em — just not for me. Any lily, in fact. Crazy tiger lilies in my garden… you can’t kill those invasive things! Please do not bring me any for mother’s day!

I suppose I shouldn’t be so harsh to a flower that the Bible mentions as beautiful (Luke 12) and is a symbol for purity. Solomon, in all his finest, never looked as good as the humble, white flower, they say. I suppose it is pretty enough. More partial to the rose, myself. I knew a lady who loved the lilies and all the mismatching and hybrids and colour varieties. She ordered bulbs on a regular basis for her garden. I have a few daylilies that are okay hanging out in mine, but the lily is not one I’d pick to plant.

However, I did find one tidbit of info interesting. The life cycle of an Easter lily begins with the bulb growing underground for several years before sprouting its long stalk and white flower. A perfect example of death and resurrection… buried under ground and rebirth. That is worth celebrating. That can bring meaning to spring. Especially right now for us, after a brutally long winter and a very rainy spring. I am ready for some new life again. I am ready for a new awakening in the soil and the garden sprouting. I’m excited for the new babies coming and the joy new life brings. That, my friends, is even worth a stinky flower. I hope you feel a rebirth in your souls this week, my beloveds! Until we “meet” again.

The Significance of Fig Trees and a little Spiritual Growth

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Oh, Friends! Dear, dear friends. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! That’s Shakespeare isn’t it? Wow, high school memory flooding back… where did that come from? Anyway, the point is, friends, we are back after a very long two week or so break. And I have no excuse for it. Well, I have an explanation, but it’s not a real excuse. Truth is, the last two weeks have been really crazy and weird at our house, and there simply wasn’t the time, motivation, opportunity, or the well-with-all to sit down for the few hours it takes to write. And I really don’t know where the time went. Work hours were odd, the family was here and there, the nights were spent doing other things… and well, here we are two weeks later! Yet, here we are. And so, I greet you again, as friends who give me a little writing grace now and then.

So. We had started our little “theme” with some plants and I’m back with another one. For some reason, the humble fig tree has been on my mind. I don’t think I have ever seen a fig tree in real life. Certainly not with figs growing on it. Wikipedia tells me it’s tropical, so likely why I’ve never seen one here in Canada. The snow here has FINALLY begun to melt and now we are in the throws of spring thaw… and flooding. Fig trees likely wouldn’t do very well in our yard… I hear they like dry soils. Therefore, I shall buy my dried figs at the supermarket. Dried because I don’t think I’ve ever had a fresh fig either.

Do you like figs? Apparently they are good for you: Raw figs are 79% water, 19% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contain negligible fat. What’s the difference between a raw fig and a dried fig? Does raw mean fresh? What’s in a in a “fig newton” (gee, another blast from the past… do they still make fig newtons?). Or in shampoo? I think there’s figs in soap? Perhaps this is why fig trees were on my mind. They are interesting creatures. Slightly exotic, slightly humble, all ancient toga party. On the snack table of Queen Esther. Or at least in her soap.

Specifically though, I was thinking about when Jesus cursed the fig tree in Mark 11. It happened during Holy Week near Jerusalem… Jesus was hungry, notices a seemingly lush fig tree, discovers no actual figs, only leaves, and then curses it to never bear fruit again. Seems harsh, but here’s the lesson: Symbolically, we could say that Jesus was saying “You’ve put all kinds of energy into productivity, but you aren’t producing real fruit; the church is active… but useless.” Ouch. Two weeks of time, not one post. People are spiritually hungry and we do lots of community events, but are we feeding them what they need? Has the church done enough, have I, as a child of God, done enough? Have you? Remember, this is mitton musings.… I just think about things. I don’t judge, nor do I have all the answers. I simply present “food for thought”.

Yes, apparently they still make Fig Newton Cookies…now with other fruit flavours.

Which also had me thinking about the whole idea of cursing some poor tree. Cursing in general. The spiritual battle is real. I don’t want to say these last few weeks have been “cursed”, but certainly they have been oppressive. Another interesting fig tree fact? Fig tree sap/leaves contain a substance called Furocoumarins (5-methoxypsoralen), an enzyme that when exposed to UV rays, can cause skin irritation. Can we say that when spiritual opposition comes into the light… we get irritated? I dunno, that may be a stretch. Let’s just go back to saying Jesus wants us to bear fruit, not just be productive.

So. There ya have it. Fig tree. A Muse. I’ve posted. Short, but to the point I think. And I hope it gave you real food for thought, and not just another post to read. I’ll be back. Hopefully sooner this time. Enjoy your Holy week. Perhaps have some figs. Blessings.