WINTER

Epiphany has passed. The holidays are over. The kids are back in school. My granddaughter has gone back to California. Life is getting back to "normal" in the new calendar year. 

So, where do we stand in view of the schism? As far as I know, there is nothing new to report. We are waiting on the two courts to act. Judge Dickson, of the circuit court, is supposedly considering the DSC motion for judgment on the state supreme court decision. When he will make a decision about anything is anyone's guess. Judge Gergel, in the federal court, has not announced a change of his schedule for trial in March. My prediction is that both of these judges will come down on the side of the Episcopal Church, Dickson because he has no choice but to implement the SCSC decision, and Gergel because of hierarchy and the Constitution. Right now, it is just a waiting game. Waiting, waiting. But then, this schism has been going on longer than any of us wants to recall. Waiting is not new.

While waiting, at least we can walk around the garden and see that all is well in God's wondrous creation, even in the "dead of winter," that really is not dead at all, just the opposite. 

Camellias. Life would be so much duller in the winter without this plant, the queen of the southern garden, my all time number one favorite shrub. There are countless varieties. Plant any one in some shade, provide acidic fertilizer and she will reward you in immeasurable wonder and beauty for very many years, even decades, to come. Every southern yard should have camellias, the winter roses. These pictures were made today, sunny and 70 degrees.

"Professor Sargent" camellia. One of the best choices, blooms prolifically for months with flower clusters.

"Winter's Fire Ice Angels" camellia, reliable in mid-winter.

"Governor Mouton" camellia is another southern favorite, for good reason.

 Loropetalum (Chinese Fringe Bush) is an excellent garden shrub. We have had a relatively mild winter so far. This one usually blooms from frost to frost.

Overlooking much of the garden. In this space is an eclectic collection of 700 plants of all sorts, some evergreen some not. This is my favorite spot for meditation. Behind the picture is a flow of water around the back of the lot offering the sound of a waterfall.

Even though winter is here, there is life all around us. It is there, waiting to be found. Even though the schism is the winter of our discontent, it too is not without grace and life. Moreover, we must not be dismayed by the darkness. As the season of winter will end in the garden, the season of winter will end in the terrible tragedy of the schism. The universe is, after all, the work of a force infinitely greater than ourselves. When you doubt that, go sit in a garden for a few minutes.