Miracle Garden

I gazed at our backyard garden with awe and gratitude.

It was summertime, and our trees were extraordinarily abundant with fruit. We had guavas, bananas, persimmons, papayas, star fruit, lemons, and many more—a sight uncommon in a big city such as Los Angeles, California, United States of America. Different varieties of organic vegetables grew lush and bountiful as well.

Harvesting our own produce was very convenient and safe during the height of the pandemic, when access to supermarkets was constrained and risky.

The garden was truly a blessing, especially at a time when my immune system was compromised. I remember telling my husband, “Look! There’s my natural medicine right in our backyard.” My husband, Bonn, and my daughter Victoria were also blessed by the fruits of their labor. For Bonn, gardening is a source of strength, peace, and joy.

He attributes his good health to spending hours tending to the garden. And Victoria enjoys harvesting kale leaves to prepare her special salad.

We were gratified to share our bountiful harvest with family and friends. We would fill bags with fresh fruits and vegetables and deliver them to the front doors of our friends. Then we would follow up our deliveries with a phone call or text message.

Everyone always responded with such gratitude. It is not only the food from the garden that brings me joy. Occasionally, I love to walk in a garden situated on a hill, and traversing the garden’s forty-nine stairs helps to meet the need for physical exercise.

The times spent quietly in prayer and meditation under the shade of the lemon and pine trees are so refreshing and provide food for the soul. God wants us to be not only physically healthy but also spiritually nourished. Just like a garden, our inner self needs to be cultivated, fertilized, and guided by the Word of God. John writes, “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul” (3 John 1:2, ESV).

God is always looking for opportunities to connect with us if we will only listen and respond faithfully. I believe that our backyard “miracle garden” was all a part of His grand plan and promise to sustain and prosper us.

Clody Flores Dumaliang