Landscaping 101

"But do you know how to make money?"

Piped my brother-in-law, to me one day, as my sister was sharing that I was the only one in the family who earned a master's degree.

No- I stammered. I don't really- I knew how to find a job and get a bi-weekly paycheck. My brother-in-law rather is an established entrepreneur and what we would today call successful, with experience, longevity and financial acumen under his belt. 

Comparing myself to him showed I do not know how to make money. His comment bothered me profusely because it was true. I wanted to be smart enough to make money on my own and generate my own business. 

I was determined to make it work- starting with nothing. I waited for a long while for an idea to come to mind, but nothing. It seemed that no one was interested in my artistic abilities and artwork or my spiritual gifts of insightful coaching.

What do I have to do to make money on my own- apart from a job that I did not have? I made it my personal ambition to earn my keep using my talents, and abilities. Let's say there was a lot of awful days. There were a lot of days when my family thought that I had gone mad. And then there was the realization that things would never turn around for me and that getting my life together would never take place in this lifetime. 

This is when all things turned around. I got on my bike one day, put some garden tools in an Invicta backpack I bought in Naples, Italy and ventured into my local neighborhood knocking on doors asking if the homeowner required help with their gardening. To my surprise many needed my offering. Not only do I make some money, but I get to know my neighborhood.

The work is laborious, in the hot and humid sun. What I have learned is that I ask God for clients, for strength to get through the day's work and that what I do glorifies Him.

Landscaping is about working with the earth and plants. Just like in the garden of Eden long ago. Now that's what God intends for all humankind. Tend the garden and worship Our God.