Redemption for Matilda’s Garden

So many thoughts…
My mind is full but my words are empty.
This unwanted bouquet spoke volumes.

When I think of the devastation of these particular weeds, I can only see the sweet face of Matilda, the young 10 year old child of the recent attacks on Jews in Australia. I decided to write this little blog in Matilda’s honor. A garden of redemption for this beautiful child. Perhaps it will ignite a fire for redemption in your garden, and in other gardens around the world. There is no longer a time to coexist with aggressive weeds. It is time to protect the “Matilda”s in your garden.

Redemption happens when we become aware, keenly aware, of an environment that has become hostile to anything that is good and pure. The world tells us that “good and pure” is objective, but killing an innocent child is not. There is no explanation for that horrific, disgusting act of brutality. What kind of god (notice the lower case g) would call the action of that? Not the Lord of Heaven. It’s time to redeem. It is time to stand up against what is wrong and protect what is good.

I have spend many years redeeming my little “garden of Eden” at the studio. I have spent endless hours pulling out trash, rock, rubbish, thorns and stickers out of the earth. Why? To protect the native plants. To bring beauty and hope to a lost world. To pull out the aggressive plants that choke out the flowers. I, the gardener, have chosen to redeem the land and not to take a blind eye to the weed aggressors. It is hard work. Every single day. I can’t just choose to “not see” the weeds, nor am I going to defend the weed and it’s’ growth.
The gardener knows the heart of the plant by its fruit. Overtaking cherished flowers is simply not good fruit, no matter how you try to explain it away. Weeds are bullies and invaders of a peaceful garden. I work to redeem the land at all cost. I stand up for my flowers, in pursuit of an oasis where all the bees, butterflies, bulb, flowers and children can live in harmony.

For too long, our world has called what is bad, good. And what is good, bad. The most aggressive of the weeds that I pull look lovely to behold….until they don’t. They pretend to play nice until they kill everything in their sight.
I made the mistake early on of allowing some of these weeds to coexist with my cherished flowers. The cute little daisy-like flowers seemed harmless, until they weren’t. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not calling for using “Round Up” to kill everything around that isn’t a flower. Some volunteer weeds and other native plants are perfectly fine. I love a garden of variety. I simply intentionally protect the lovely, the pure, the good fruit and the innocent.

From this day forth, I will have a little area called “Matilda’s Garden”. It will have only the loveliest of flowers. It will be protected at all cost. Her beautiful little face will not be forgotten.
There is never a reason for violence against children like Matilda.

There is never a reason for antisemitism.
There is never a reason to defend those who hate.
It was never about the land. Weeds want it all.
Protect the Jewish people and pray.