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Update on the Challenge
Thursday 21st May Well I must say this challenge I have created for myself has been a struggle, in different ways.I have the 54 types of seeds but now need to continue planting them at the two schools. I have sown about two thirds of them.
One tricky part is that I am only at the schools 3 days a fortnight, and need to make the time to water the existing seeds and sow the new ones. The weather has been warm and dry; no rain to help with the watering.
I am enlisting the help of students to sow the seeds, as this is my heart anyway- to get them involved and to learn how to take care of the plants. I am also sowing some of the seeds at home to be able to nurture them, and bring them into the schools when they are bigger.
Another challenge I am facing is that this month has become very busy- with personal grief and loss issues, and supporting members of my family and community with their own issues.
I know- I am a chaplain. That is what I do, support people.
In amongst that I must remember to practice self-care, like all chaplains need to. And this challenge of planting seeds is one way I do that. Seeds that grow are filled with the promise of new life and hope for the future.
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54 Seeds
Tuesday 5th May I can still remember my first try at planting seeds. It was a packet of sweetcorn. I was 9 years old.I chose a spot in my yard- It was a metre square area of dirt and surrounded by wooden crates. I had to perform acrobatics to get into the spot but managed to plant the seeds and watered them. And I waited patiently. I think I even watered them again. Nothing.
Of course now I know that it was destined to fail on several counts... but I loved the idea of growing things. My mum always saved seeds and popped them on our windowsill to dry out.
Fast forward forty years and I became a chaplain with two schools in 11 months. I love gardening and am passionate about sharing the joy of growing, harvesting, and eating veges and herbs with the students. I also have been very blessed to have the support of local businesses and families who have donated worm farms and compost systems to the schools I work in. The classes save their crunch 'n' sip fruit scraps to go into the compost bins and worm farms.
Each work day sees me visit the worm farms with eager students to see how the little critters are going. They hold the worms and name them. We make worm tea to feed the plants with. I like to think I am sharing not only my love of gardening, but also important life skills.
My challenge is to grow 54 different types of seeds in the month of May- 25 at Broomehill Primary, and 29 at Braeside Primary. These include veges, herbs and flowers. 54 represents how many years YouthCARE has been supporting young people in Western Australia.
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