I’ve been “gardening” in containers on my balcony this year. I wanted to undertake the challenge partly as an exercise in slowing down, in waiting, and in remembering that no matter what I can do in terms of watering, tending, choosing good soil, and other good gardening techniques, I have no ultimate control over whether the plants live or die, when they blossom, or any of the other deeper mysteries.

Coincidentally, this lesson is mirroring other areas of my life where I have been reminded of my lack of control and encouraged to simply trust the beauty of the process.

Today, my first Zinnia bloomed–an incredible, delicate pink color . . . and I thought, “This is a miracle.”