Eudaimonia: The Garden Collection

…Let all that we do here, 

in these our brief lives, 

in this our brief moment to love, 

in this the work you have ordained 

for this community, 

flower in winsome 

and beautiful foretaste 

of greater glories yet to come…

…As we work the soil of this garden plot, 

furrowing, planting, watering, and harvesting 

may such acts become to us a living parable, 

a prayer acted out rather than spoken.

To produce a beneficial harvest, 

may we find in such toil a kind of rest. 

May this plot of ground become a hallowed space 

and these hours a sacred time for reflection, 

for conversation with friends and family, 

and for the fellowship with you our Creator.

Through our tending of these 

your delightful creations- 

vegetables and fruits, 

beans and berries, 

vines and stalks 

and roots and flowers- 

renew our tired hopes, 

redeem our wearied imaginations. 

As we cultivate gentle order,

training, 

pruning, 

and protecting, 

so cultivate and train our wayward hearts…

Is there a good reason for planting flowers..?

Ah, yes!
for these bursts of color

and beautiful blooms

are bright dabs of grace, witness to a promise, 

reminders of a spreading beauty 

more eternal, and therefore stronger, 

than any evil, than any grief,

than any injustice or violence.

…

The forms of these flowers

Are the intentional designs 

Of a creator who has not abandoned this broken and rebellious creations, 

But has instead wholly given himself

To the work of redeeming it…

From Every Moment Holy Vol. 1; 3 different excerpts

The concept of Eudaimonia is not new to me. I did one collection under the umbrella of this idea called The Houseplant Collection. To recap, it was about the beauty of having plants to cultivate in my home. That, in the midst of a difficult season for me, the very act of caring for them, nurtured my own soul. (You can read the full artist statement under the Houseplant Collection tab on my website.) 

The Garden Collection is a continuation of the concept of Eudaimonia.The idea is complex because with Human flourishing comes new moments of life that change your perspectives, goals, and focus. I tend to let my life dictate my work which lends really well to this concept. With my flourishing or lack of, continuously points back to this ideology. I think that's quite beautiful. It reminds me of the complexity of this life.

You see, during the houseplant collection, our living space was confined to an apartment and then a duplex. They were small and cramped but filled with beautiful plants of course. This is because the only space I could truly cultivate was the inside…Now, however, we have moved into a home. We started cultivating a much bigger space because, now that we own a home this whole new section has been unlocked, the yard. 

I had been very excited about starting to cultivate a yard. All the flowering and fruiting plants that would come with it! However, the space presented to us was somewhat mature. The garden actually came with 3 already fruiting plants, and chickens!

We have always had a heart to bring people in our home, it was just tough in a small space. We now have the space to serve our friends and community better. We were baking every month and giving eggs and goodies away almost weekly especially because we had many fruit bearing plants. We were swimming in food which made it easy to continue to cultivate in a new way. I think, in a better way. Yes, it was good to cultivate something for my own joy and pleasure like my sweet houseplants, but this outward cultivation of relationships just through tending our yard became something really special to me. It lent itself to relationships and community. People would start baking for us in return, we would have them over, they would have us over. It was a give and take. 

As I thought about this relationship with the Garden, I was really stuck on this image of collaboration. We worked with the plants to serve people. This is why I included some of my good artist friends in the series. As they poured into me during our college time, I wanted to pour into them. I wanted them to do their own take on the Eudaimonia concept. It was a fun process but a beautiful visual representation of how the garden has enhanced our life. It has expanded our love of plants and our space and the people near us. 

So, I hope by reading this, you will cultivate not only your home, but the relationship so near to you. It may not always bear fruit, but it always yields beauty and joy in one way or another.  

Eudaimonia: “a state of contentment and happiness that comes from living a meaningful life. The condition of human flourishing or of living well.”

“Psalm 90:17
“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us: Establish the work of our hands for us - Yes, Establish the work of our hands.” 

Cultivate: “To foster the growth of; to improve by labor, care, or study”