Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. Birthdays have a way of encouraging us to pause and reflect, don’t they? We may consider changing a few things or planting new seeds. There is such wisdom in nature, teaching us that endings bring beginnings— even unexpected, sad endings and losses— because from them comes new growth.
A Birthday Reflection
Jolee’s adorable ears appear to be missing most of the time. (August 2021)
Miss Ellie Mae at “The Top of the World” (June 2018)
A few years back, I shared a Birthday Reflection Pulse Check themed around the 9-plus years of our weekly chats in gratitude for what I’ve learned from all of you. It was a year after Miss Ellie, our column mascot, passed away, and it felt like it was time to change the photo to Jolee, though neither can ever fill the other’s paws. You helped me choose the image with Jolee’s ears standing tall (well, fairly tall) as opposed to her usual flat-on-her-head style, making her look earless most of the time. Smile.
Jolee 5th Birthday – 8/13/25
Jolee turned five this week, hard to believe. I took a selfie for the occasion, with her ears up and sporting a smile. She’s come a long way since she arrived, riddled with fear from her first five months on the streets of Biloxi, rescued from death row. She taught me to choose love over fear. What a gift…
In the pulse check, I shared my dream that Hay House Publishing would publish my book, The Lesson of the Leaf: How Nature, Gardens (and Rescue Dogs) Help Heal and Grow Your Life. It shares a journey from loneliness and loss to love and hope, inspired by the wisdom my beloved brother left behind. You may recall I divulged my quandary of how to format and find time to complete the book. Your feedback encouraged me to pepper nature and garden stories into the personal story. Brilliant idea! Thank you for that.
We Can’t Rush Seeds
I submitted the book proposal and recently learned that Hay House didn’t accept it—at least not this time. Of course, I felt disappointed, but was quickly reminded we can’t rush seeds and maybe, like the zucchini in my vegetable garden, it will take more time for flowering before the fruit sets. It was exciting to harvest my first zucchini of the season yesterday. Weeks of anticipation make the harvest that much more rewarding.
Maybe Hay House will be the right fit someday, but why not plant seeds elsewhere? Approaching other publishers or self-publishing. Or perhaps create an e-book or audiobook and see what grows from there.
Someone suggested I start “Lesson of the Leaf” workshops, combining nature walks and garden visits with reflection. Or a Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries Garden Club with lively virtual Q&As each month. What do you think, kind readers? I’d love to hear your thoughts or if you’d like to be part of the beta testers. (You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.) Hmm, maybe we’ll call it something else—seed samplers, perhaps?
Baby Cardinals – August 18, 2025
A Cardinals’ New Beginning
Speaking of new beginnings, I’ve been watching Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal outside the kitchen window. A few weeks ago, I suspected there was a nest underway, as I watched them come and go with bits of grass. But I thought how odd it was to have a nest so late in the season. Sure enough, their abode is nestled in the rhododendron, and I am adoring watching the momma and poppa working as a team feeding their young, their heads popping up on cue.
My neighbor Monica wonders if it’s the same family whose young fell from the nest in spring. The parents were distraught for hours, unable to get the little fella in the nest. She intervened with gloves on, putting the baby back. The parents returned, realized their baby had died, and flew off in closure. Maybe this is their second try; this time, they have two babies.
Endings Give Way to Beginnings
Nature reminds us that endings give way to new beginnings. I conclude each podcast episode by reminding folks to embrace the unexpected in the garden of life. The same is true if they are unanticipated sad endings or losses. Because from them comes new growth.
Sometimes we make mistakes in life, or choices that may have been right at one time, but time moves forward. Sometimes you have to change things, and sometimes with good communication or a good dose of fertilizer, things that look spent and worn and too late to survive can resurrect themselves and go into bloom again. And sometimes you have to replace a plant or move on; it is indeed part of the Garden of Life.
Thank you, kind readers, for encouraging me through 13 years of columns and all the lessons I’ve learned from your sharing of dilemmas, delights, and discoveries in the Garden of Life. I look forward to where we grow next.
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone@gmil.com and your favorite Podcast App.
There’s more to the story in the Garden Dilemmas Podcast, including the restoration of a Welcome Home Clematis:
Related Posts and Podcasts you’ll enjoy:
Birthday Reflection Pulse Check (2021)- Blog Post / Ep 37. Merry Season of Love Over Fear
Merry Season of Love over Fear (2021)- Blog Post
Plants Inspire-Turning Over a New Leaf (2022)-Blog Post about Pat’s Welcome Home Clematis.
