Harvest time...

Happy Lammas, y'all.

The year's harvests are beginning to come in. What's the fruits of your labors this year?

The short list:
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Tomatoes! Marigolds! Cypress vines! Bee and Lemon Balms! Five varieties of sage! Rue! Valerian! Bloodroot! Finches and exclamation points everywhere!

I'm graduating from college and I never thought I actually would, based on the experiences I had the first time I tried it.

I finally got my tree cut into logs and put up to dry. In the process, I learned I can count on my dad when I need him. I think he learned that I will not tolerate "standing by" - I will and can put in just as much hard work as he will, and more (and I blame him for this nagging cough I have now - I was fine until he brought his over!)

As we were storing it, I realized the building my tree is in would make an excellent artist's studio - it even "told" me it's name but I want to sit on that for a while before making it public.

I can make my way in this world and it doesn't necessarily need to be by conventional, 9 by 5, means. I can make a living creating things with my own two hands.

The hardest lesson for me to learn: how do I say this without sounding trite or absolutely stupid? Although a person can be one hundred percent commmitted to a relationship, sometimes those relationships fail. Sometimes death separates you. Either way, we're human and we can't just "forget about it and go on." It may take a few weeks or it may take a few years but we have to grieve. We have to heal. The pain we think we can't take any more of can actually make us stronger, more compassionate, more human.

So. Again I ask you: what are the fruits of your labors this year?