A Garden Deferred

I started this garden project at my church over 2.5 years ago.  It was to beautify the grounds and memorialize the preceding head of the True Love Missionary Baptist Church, Herbert B. Robinson Sr.  We’ve had multiple conversations, ideas passed through the notes and messages with the inclusion of walks in the space.  All of this to report back to you, it’s still a work in process.  This Spring/Summer, we were able to plant a few new additions.  Wait a minute, did I ever tell you they planted a few things?  I guess I better tell you about that first.

After digging through the archive and found five posts that will bring you up to date on the project.  So this year everyone wanted to know what happened to the garden project.  I have to admit. I had become frustrated with the whole thing and will take my portion of the blame.  My attendance hasn’t been the greatest as of lately.  There are days when, I get caught up in my make up, I stay up too late the night before when I get off of work or I’m having a time getting myself together beyond the closet.  So before you know it, I’m later than expected.  Then when you throw the idea that Sunday is my first day off from work and this may encourage an unwavering desire to rest.  I have to get better about my prep and readiness for church.  let me get back on topic!  It has been one failed contact to another.  Then my mother and her friend Sis. Mosley spearheaded the investigation for 2015 planting.

I’m not going to bash my church home but it takes forever to do anything when you’re not in the face of the purse holders on a weekly basis.  So when I was contacted to plant some flowers in the garden, I was shocked.  Then they told me what the budget was and what the pastor would like to see in the bed.  This information brought me right back to earth.  It was going to take even longer if we are going to do things this way.  We had a date and had to switch it due to the holiday and that threw my entire schedule off.  To my surprise the wall we were waiting for them to paint was painted and has begun to peel again – more frustrated because we all know what happened.  We got it done and plans on increasing the plant life in the space.  That was so long ago and we still haven’t completed the prepared flower bed as planned.  Here are some photos of our work.

The pastor is very direct in telling me “not to lose patience and be encouraged.”  It’s just hard when you want something so bad and it’s taking so long and there is really nothing you can do about it.  Let’s just bow our heads in prayer.  I still have 5 years to complete it within my seven year expiration on projects.  🙂

9: Streaming Garden Project

No, we haven’t decided to place a stream in the church garden. I’m speaking in reference to the digital streaming that prevents us from receiving information as fast as we want. You all know how passionate I am about gardening and the assignment I have within the church. Well once again the progress was halted by congregational administration red tape. But you probably already figured that out by my lack of posts about the next step after we prepared the bed for flowers. I’ll give you the short version. Moreover I want to explain why this is an important event of my 2013.

The bed was cleared for us to prep the soil and plant the flowers as the introduction of the Herbert B. Robinson Sr. Memorial Garden project early summer. I even agreed to have the church landscaper to clear out the remaining portion of the bed because only three (3) members assisted me with the work. As I stood a little taller filled with pride over our forward movement with the endeavor, I was hit with an unforeseeable blow. They said “don’t plant yet until we get the building painted.” Okay! When are they planning to paint the building? It was so long ago, I can’t remember if they said this week or next week. Either way it went it was neither week. The summer was almost over before they painted that wall. The grass had filled the bed up again and once I again I felt defeat. A feeling I want to personalize because I find it hard to believe the church doesn’t want to have this garden prepared or functional for other events. I feel no true support for the vision I have for the space or the memory/tribute I feel is owed to the legacy of our but mainly my former pastor. There has been hurdle after hurdle and my frustration has yield a sour taste on my tongue for the non-profit. With all of these feelings I still have a desire to continue. The question is am I alone?

I’m currently, planning a schedule to present to the pastor which meets my needs and satisfies the work I want to begin. It’s been two (2) gardening seasons since this was initiated. At all times, I’m exploring other avenues to create a better life for my family. This was a portion of my talent & time offering to the church. Now that I am equipped with more information and a stubborn attitude to reject the failure I feel. It time to aggressively move in the direction I want to see on land rather than just in my dreams.

The reason this pitfall event made it to the countdown is because it displays the growth I’ve experienced over these years. The old me would have just threw her hands up and said just forget about it. The matured woman understands that sometimes you have to go about things a different way. Especially when those things will add value to your life and as much as I love making money – that’s not the value I speak of. 🙂

The Gardening Is Beginning

Hello Everyone,  I know some of you might be a little curious about what happened to the garden I was planning for the church.  First,  let me show you some pictures of the spring flowers that bloomed after our initial planting.  Even though it took Spring longer to get her than expected.  I was totally excited to see them.  Then the evil of all landscaping appeared a few clusters of weeds.

I saw a few areas through the spring planting plan that will receive additional flowers in the fall this year.  I love for flowers to be bountiful, like the gardens of Holland, Versailles and Biltmore.  I’ll more than likely just venture out there myself to take care of these matters.  The unnecessary debate I have to have with the elders of the church weigh me down immensely.  Being that I’m a respectable person, I tend to entertain them more than I should and have to double back to do more work so they “feel” like things are going their way… smh

So, last week the pastor called me and left a message.  I knew what it was about being that the weather here in Detroit had finally snapped allowing a window for us to handle the prep work needed to get the garden going.  The announcement was made for any members willing to lend a hand at digging the grounds up for the garden to come out and offer 2 hours of service Tuesday and Wednesday.  I asked my mom to come with me to allow me to vent to someone if I needed.

My plan includes 3 beds, 2 walls of shrubbery, 1 raised bed, a paved walkway (in the near future) and over 25 specimen of plants.  With the new job and all, this will just be another thing I keep my hands involved in.  My goal when I walked away from my former life was to become a more active member in the church.  That’s exactly what I’m going to do.  Plan in hand and vision in my mind, I designated the areas that needed to be turned over and we got to work.  With only a small delegation of people to show up this is going to take a lot longer than I thought.  We also decided right on the spot that we’ll announce some Saturday planting days to allow more members to come out and participate.  I have a strange feeling I’ll be here more often than the rest as gardening brings me a surreal peace and sense of calm.  I often walk out into my mother’s yard just to look at all the things I have planted of the years, especially the rose bushes.  Here are just a few pictures from the day and the work we accomplished.

Things are underway on the Herbert B. Robinson, Sr. Memorial Garden at True Love Baptist Church.  I’m happy to tell you that I am still with the project and looking forward to bringing you more updates as the flowers go into the ground and the stems, buds and leaves begin to bloom.  Put a smile on your face ~ it might bring you a little joy to pass on to someone else.  🙂

2: Ten Percent

The number 2 item on my list is the result of following through with a spiritual goal I set for myself.  To become more involved in my church and nurture my relationship with God.  When I reinstated my membership back into the church of my life, True Love Missionary Baptist Church,  I never thought I would take it as far as it’s gone.  That very Sunday,  my pastor expressed to me that he had been waiting for me. (I knew he was looking at me!!! Lol)  This church has been a part of my life since before I took my 1st breath in the world.  I felt some shame because I’d been in and out of this place over 17 years.  Attempting to find a new church, visiting other churches and working played a part in my disappearing acts from “home.”  However, no matter where I went or how moved I was by the services of other clergymen.  I always wanted and felt I needed to come home.  That’s exactly what I did February 2012.  During the “Right Hand of Fellowship” they present the tithing requirements.  I know you’re about ready to run at the notion of tithing… But here it’s asked of you to give 10% of your time, money & talent.  This puts you in the mind frame of service other than just dropping your money in the basket.  No wading in the water for me, that took place so many moons ago as an adolescent.  It was time to get right to business.

The Main Stage

Church Roses

The Present Garden

Eggs for the Hunt

The result of my ten percent to this congregation lead me to the Chair of the Beautification Ministry, which handles the decorating, landscaping and execution of the Herbert B. Robinson Sr. Memorial Garden.  This position had me digging dirt, planting bulbs and plants around the grounds of our campus (more of that to come in the coming year).  As a contribution during the Easter holiday, I dyed 4 dozen eggs to help make the egg hunt a success and helped with the assembly of goodie bags for the children.  I’ve become a choir member of the True Praise ensemble.  I have shows every 2nd and 4th Sundays starting at 11 am on the main stage.  Check for me in the alto section, Lol.  Let me not forget my placement of money in the basket.  Which goes unaccounted for because I refuse to use the envelopes given to me.  My reason behind this is simple ~ It’s a gift!  So in following through with the plan of the church I think I’m in accordance with all that is required of me within the church.  God ain’t finished working on me, please stand back if you’re judging.

Our 7 weeks of prayer begins January 1st daily at 11am & 6pm.  As usual I’ll be at the late class.  Join me if you feel so moved.  I’m happy about the things I have been called upon to do in assisting the church and bring a little joy into my life. 🙂

Can you guess what #1 is?  One more day to find out.  Something tells me you already know 😉

Trust in Small Steps

This is the latest update for the previously discussed Herbert B. Robinson Sr. Memorial Garden.. The music playing in the background is by The Pat Metheny Group and the title of the song is And Then I Knew absoultely love his music. 🙂  https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=3792049079860&saved The flowers in the feature are Trillium which translates into True Love.  A flower which the former pastor wanted to incorporate into the church.  This will be a major component in the space.

Trust In Waiting

Isn’t the garden beautiful?  I can’t take any credit for that garden that was found in a Google search.  I wanted to get you prepared for the topic of this post.  🙂  You all remember a couple of months ago I was so excited about becoming the cultivator of my church’s garden.  They asked me to draw up the plans, create a budget and present it to them.  I knew something was up when the pastor wanted me to call him.  So, I did what they asked of me.  One of the sisters of the church called me and told me that my drawing wasn’t professional.  What?!?!  The informal way that this all happened I didn’t expect it to be so strict… I took my plan and revised it, creating a more detailed account of what was going to happen in the proposed garden. Contact with the mural artist, landscapers and concrete mason was made and estimates were made for the work.

The Plan

Not to mention the muralist Eric Patrick had taken the time to draw the picture up and give me the artwork to display to the board of trustees.

Proposed Mural

I was revving to go.  Then I talked to the pastor. Lord, he explained that the board of trustees needed me to determine a budget for the garden and alternative means to fund it.   I vocalized all my options and he expressed to me that they are very tight with the “purse.”  He then informed me that they will want to know why the $1200 for the mural was even needed or important.  Unfortunately, as much as the pastor wants this to move forward, he’s having a hard time with the board.  Mainly because they have the final say in all monetary decisions involving the church.  My pastor asked me to be patient and NOT to become discouraged.  With those simple, yet powerful words I got my game face together to meet with the board.

That was in April, I have yet to speak to anyone about my proposal for the Herbert B. Robinson Sr. Memorial Garden. Patiently waiting to get that call to present my dream and get started on the work involved in the actual garden.  I’m ready, a million times over for it and them.  I want this to be a NEW fixture in the congregation and community.  A NEW place for us to meet and fellowship..  If it means that I have to wait a little while before this goal can come everything I want it to be… I’ll wait with a 🙂