Contemplative Gardening

An illustrated guide for turning gardening into opportunities for reflection and meditation. Contemplative Gardening encourages green thumbs to make a connection between tending to the earth and tending to their own souls, between creation care and community growth. From her own checkered history as a gardener, killing houseplants and avoiding yard work to her becoming an avid grower, the author shows transformation can happen. Her own turning point came when she began a church vegetable garden as part of an effort to revitalize a small parish and help it heal from years of division and conflict. A commitment to feeding the hungry was born from the author’s reflection and the will to give. With reflections and discussion questions, she suggests that groups can engage and learn from each other. For real gardeners and armchair ones, retreat centers, churches, and seminaries examining agrarian ministries, and readers exploring the intersection of food and faith.