Iowa is a heartland of wisdom about growing things, and I wonder about the metaphor of preparing land with regard to peace around our world right now. The peace that is breaking ground began long ago, deep in the hearts of many. So, what is it to cultivate something within us? Be it peace, love, joy… justice, hope, creativity…whatever we wish to harvest.
I looked up cultivate: To break up in preparation for sowing or planting; To raise or grow, especially on a large scale. Then the question arises, what is the best that we really want to grow now and next, both within our hearts (where it starts) and in the world around us?
This is not a new idea, of course, but when another friend was noticing her furrowed brows, it made me think of furrowed rows. What is she cultivating? What do our worries and concerns indicate that we care most about?
This little art piece began with a pin that my friend Jane gave me when she cleared out her jewelry box. Front and center are the fields of IOWA. Now it reminds me to be even more aware, conscious and intentional about how and what we really are preparing for. Breaking up old hard places, moving rocks out of the way, treating the soil well to grow what we long for, first within our being so that we might witness the same on a large scale. What do you desire to grow?
