Tag: garden

garden-path

Published on by Dawn Marie17 Comments

Did you notice?

Hugs n’ blessings has been quiet for a little while.

On or about the start of Advent I knew I needed to pull away and enter into the silence of my heart.

Like a seed seeking to grow I needed time to plant myself in quiet soil to discover if God was calling me to bloom anew.

Has this ever happened to you?

I decided to detach from the noisy World in most social-media ways, immersed myself in prayer & contemplation, dove into journaling full-force, ate more carbs than I care to admit and allowed myself to be nurtured by

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VEP

Published on by Dawn Marie6 Comments

Just a little fluff & stuff today…

A Carthusian monk in the Carthusian monastry of “la Valsainte.” Photo taken by Simon Glasson, around 1930.

Our family has a strong affection for the Carthusian Monk’s.

A dear friend of ours, Charlie, introduced us to a fun-fact about these beloved monks many-many years ago – as we shared a toast together for the first time with the “Elixir of Long Life.”

One of their many Cheers, together!

Yes, our first taste of Green Chartreuse VEP, produced by the Carthusian monks, was indeed many years ago – yet has since become a cherished family tradition for our family at every important or meaningful life event.

You can always expect to share this warm, (some would say burning,) minty green liquor with us, to ‘mark the occasion’.

Tradition dictates: Everyone partaking in a toast of Green Chartreuse VEP must sign the wooden box, especially when it is their first time imbibing!
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Mary’s Garden

Published on by Dawn Marie8 Comments

 

Common Name/Religious Name:

Hollyhock/St. Joseph’s Staff, Pansy/Our Lady’s Delight, Bleeding Heart/Mary’s Heart, Columbine/Our Lady’s Shoes, Primrose/Our Lady’s Keys, Black Eyed Susan/Golden Jerusalem, Cornflowers/Mary’s Crown, Cosmos/St. Michaels’ Flower, Petunia/Our Lady’s Praises, Zinnia/The Virgin, Gladiolus/Ladder to Heaven, Geranium/Gentle Virgin, Daffodil/Mary’s Star, Lily of the Valley/Our Lady’s Tears, Peony/Pentecost Rose, Tulip/Mary’s Prayer, Rose/Emblem of Mary.

A Mary Garden is a collection of plants and flowers that have specific “Mary names” or religious names in addition to their botanical and common names.

John S. Stokes Jr. was the founder of the Mary’s Gardens movement, which started in 1951 to promote the creation of Mary Gardens and to connect gardeners of all skill levels. Proposed first for home gardens, Mary Gardens soon became fixtures at schools, parishes, burial plots, institutions, and shrines.  As outreach was an important aspect of the movement, Stokes wrote, designed, and compiled gardening guides and garden plans to encourage people to plant Mary Gardens, promoting them as prayerful, religious works of stewardship, devotion, praise, thanksgiving, meditation, and commitment for God’s artistry in creation.

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