Daily Reflection
January 29, 2026

When I was a little girl, about twelve years old, I wanted a vegetable garden. As a “city girl,” I had no idea how to start, but my mother helped. We picked seeds, corn, carrots, radishes, green beans, fertilized the soil, and prepped the rows for planting. Every day, after school, I visited the little patch, giving it my attention and care. I made sure the soil was moist and pulled any stray weeds. As often happens with children, I lost enthusiasm for the project and became distracted by other interests. I neglected to water the garden for a few days. When I returned, some of the seeds had popped through the surface, but they were withered. In other rows, the tiny seedlings had shriveled and died. I ran to the house, distraught, and I told my mother about the state of the garden. I had assumed she would water it, just like she fed the dog, when I forgot to fill her bowl. My mother taught me an important life lesson that day when she told me that, for my garden to thrive, it required tending. She explained, If we neglect them, the plants die, the soil becomes barren of the nourishment provided by water and fertilizer, and weeds invade the space.

Over time, I have come to realize that the lesson of tending goes far beyond the care of a garden. My friendships cannot flourish if I neglect to “fertilize” them. Family members need my daily attention and care. My communities fail to thrive if my neighbors and I are too distracted to become involved. And the most important relationship of all, my friendship with God, needs tending or it gets lost in the weeds of life (busyness, worries, doubts, my need to control everything, etc.).

The wisdom of tending is what I hear in Jesus’ words, “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” The more time and attention, or tending, I commit to my faith life, the more my faith garden flourishes. If I lose my enthusiasm and my attention drifts to other interests, my relationship with God shrivels, not because of God but because of me. God never stops pouring out His Love and Grace on me, and the whole world. But, just like little seeds, God’s gifts cannot flourish unless I prepare the “soil” of my heart, mind, body, and soul to receive His presence.

The Season of Lent is only a few weeks away. How timely it is for me to remember the lesson learned, so many years ago, about tending. The tiny plants needed only a small portion of my attention each day. Perhaps the same can be said about growing my faith. As a Jesuit friend often says, it’s not quantity but quality that matters. Slow down and savor the time spent with God.

With a little bit of time devoted to preparing the soil, such as a Consciousness Examen, exploring what is in most need of my tending at this time in my life, my garden will be ready to plant when we reach Ash Wednesday. During Lent, I can rely on Ignatian imaginative prayer to help me hear what my “soil”, my soul, most needs. Slowing down and seeking God in all things, through the Daily Examen, can be one way to help sprout the seeds He has planted, which are now ready to burst into my life.

Lovingly tending the little patch God has given me - friends, family, communities, and myself means keeping God at the center. That way, I am more likely to notice God’s overflowing, abundant measure of love and compassion and remain open to receive even more of His measure of faith to share with His world.

Question for reflection: What is it, at this time in your life, that needs tending?