I woke up early that morning. Although tending my garden and cultivating the seeds is my usual routine, every day, it is no surprise that I still get excited waking up and saying hello to my little plants waiting outside my house.
As I opened my window's curtain, the sun, as if reflecting all my joy inside, winked at me. All the birds passing by that morning didn't forget to offer me their sweet melodies. They already know the tune of my morning praise songs.
Out of my room, I prepared a hot cup of coffee and decided to heat the bread on my kitchen countertop from last night. My soul sings joy that morning for no apparent reason. I can't clearly recall the lyrics but the ambiance --the salt air, and the aroma of the freshly brewed beans sent me signals as if something different and new was going to happen.
True enough, As I went to my garden and started walking down to water my plants, I heard horse hooves. It was fast approaching. Before I could act, a man was already standing outside my garden gate. Jumping off his horse, he seemed intentional in expressing his awe of my garden. He seemed to like the flowers. Still standing outside my fence, he pointed out the full-bloomed yellow roses beside the artificial water fountain. "I passed by and unexpectedly saw your beautiful garden. All your plants seemed cheerful which I believe is also a reflection of your heart," the man with a horse said.
"I'm a traveler. I've been to many places but I've never seen such beauty," he added.
Flattered, I looked at him and smiled. It was not the first time that someone showed interest in my garden. Many other passing travelers in town would sometimes casually stop in front of my house to admire the blooming petals, especially in spring. Normally, without any idea how to throw back the kind words, I would just shrug off the compliment. It's funny how I get awkward over little things such as receiving compliments.
However, with this traveler, it was different. I felt comfortable for the first time. It was a strange feeling. I barely knew him. I had no idea who he was or where he was from yet, I welcomed the genuine friendship he offered.
Based on his looks that morning, he seemed fine-looking and kind but there were clear signs of a far-long journey. I invited him in. I prepared another cup of coffee and offered it to him. We sat down together in the garden. We set up a chair and a table under the shade of an old mango tree. During our conversation, it was revealed that we shared the same interests, he is a gardener too. In fact, he was way more expert than me based on his stories. We spent almost that entire morning talking about random things under the sun. He talked about some of the wisdom he learned on his journey while I shared with him how I value little things and little moments. He'd been to many places, hence, he looked less appreciative of mundane things.
We got lost in our conversation and didn't notice that it was about noon. We both laughed when we realized how soothing it was to feel safe talking with a stranger. As he was talking about a lot more different stuff, the wounds and scars he had all over him didn't escape my eyes. I sensed he tried hard to cover them. I had no idea what he went through, but at that moment, it was as if the sky was telling me, "he was more than his past and way better than his wounds."
As we bid goodbye, this traveler told me he will come by regularly to check my garden so that maybe one day, we can contribute and add value to each one's harvest. As he set on his journey again and slowly disappeared in the distance, I looked up and prayed: "Lord, if you are gonna allow the change of season, then, please at least prepare me and my crops."
Before I went to bed that night, I asked again the night sky and it whispered to me words that brought the surge of peace in me. Like a lullaby, the calmness of the assurances in His words slowly drifted me to sleep.
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