Journey to Walled Garden: Part One

Five years ago this month I embarked on the wildest adventure of my life!  Following the Lord's leading, Henry and I packed up and moved 5,000 miles, from western Washington State to the Orkney Islands (off the north coast of Scotland).  Many of you will be aware that the past five years have stretched me...

After a final week of memory making at Little Halley, we said 'goodbye' as a family. Tears flowed freely as Kate, Richard and the grandchildren drove down the drive for the last time. Our son Drew left two days later.    When I got home from the airport, I found myself embracing the ancient stone wall in the sitting room. I pressed my face  against it and sobbed.  Life in Orkney has not been easy, but Little Halley has been our God-given refuge on many a dark day these past five years.

A year ago we thought our time in Orkney was coming to a close.  We had a valuation done and all the photos ready to put Little Halley on the market.  Not wanting to step outside of the Lord's will, we prayed "Lord, if this is NOT your will, please make it clear."  The following day a neighbor asked if we would consider hosting a Bible study.  He had approached the pastor of a local church with the same request and was denied.  We realized the Lord's work for us in Deerness was not finished. 

I am so thankful for God's wisdom and perfect timing. Having experienced continued, bewildering loss of relationship here, the Lord knew we needed the fellowship of a small group we have grown to love. God gave us the opportunity to finish strong, granting us the privilege of watching the seeds we planted begin to germinate and grow.  I know the Lord will finish the work He has begun.

In late August I flew back to Washington to stay with my Mom while my sister and her husband were away. I looked forward to enjoying the warmth of late summer and was not disappointed.  It was HOT, and the heat meant LOTS of watering...a great excuse to soak up the sunshine.  As I  watered the hydrangeas, I  reflected on the nature of our life in Orkney.  I am ashamed to admit that I began to covet my sisters plants.

"Lord," I began to pray.  "Please forgive me for coveting these plants!  It's just that our  life in Orkney has been characterized by barrenness these past few years! It feels as though the barrenness has crept into every aspect of our lives...social, spiritual, even botanical!  Lord, you know my heart." 

I finished watering and decided to indulge myself by having a quick look at homes for sale on the Mainland (where gardens flourish, untouched by the fierce, salt-laden gales that characterize Orkney).  A property near the shores of Loch Ness immediately caught my eye.  Just next to the entrance stood a towering DOUGLAS FIR TREE...a sentinel and a reminder of "home."  Extensive gardens included a greenhouse, inside which grew a grapevine.  A cluster of green grapes hung from the vine.  I suddenly, shockingly burst into tears!

"What a peculiar reaction," I asked myself, "who bursts into tears at the sight of a grapevine?"

The following day, after watering Lisa's plants, once again I succumbed to the temptation.  This time I noticed the name of the home/property with the greenhouse:  "Walled Garden."  My heart skipped a beat! 

The week prior to travelling to the States I  signed a contract with a publisher in England to publish my first children's book:  "The King's Garden:  Parable of the Impossible Tree."  It is the story of a King who lives with his children in the safety of a vast and glorious Garden.  All is well until the children disobey Papa and find themselves outside the protection of the Garden wall...Great sacrifice is made to build a bridge, making a way for  the children to find their way Home.  

I began to wonder if the Lord was about to "give back the years that the locusts have eaten."