Welcome listener to this meditation on finding love and acceptance for others.
So start by finding a comfortable position.
And close your eyes.
And take three gentle relaxed breaths.
Allowing your senses to draw inwards.
Allowing your body to relax.
And in this meditation we're going to visualise a scene that's going to speak to us about how we might love others.
It's going to be a scene of a garden.
And so I want you to see yourself in a garden in early spring before the flowers have come out.
This garden can be real or imagined.
And what we're going to observe in this garden is a loving gardener.
She's experienced,
She's attentive,
She's active,
Yet she listens and watches and waits.
And so seeing this spring garden with fresh soil and trees,
Plants currently waiting to come into bloom,
A bright sky.
See this gardener in her garden.
And she's pruning.
Pruning back some of the plants,
Some of the rose bushes.
She has near her a wheelbarrow full of the things that she's going to plant.
And she takes these things.
She takes seedlings that she's been growing.
And you watch her dig holes and plant these seedlings and pat the compost and soil around them gently.
You see her take packets of seeds and plant each seed carefully arranged.
Perhaps she has some bulbs which she pats into the damper.
Maybe some vegetables,
Seeds and seedlings.
And you watch her as she takes her time.
Her hands are well worn.
And then her work is done for that day.
And you see the passing of time as you're there,
Observing this garden.
You observe the gardener coming in each day.
Some days it's raining and she waits and she watches and observes.
And other days the bright sunlight shines and you can feel that warmth in the air.
And she sets to work attending to her plants,
Putting in supports where they're needed.
Digging out weeds.
Watering,
Feeding.
Allowing each thing to grow.
Allowing each thing to become what it is in its own time.
You observe her and you observe these plants growing daily and you notice how she allows each thing to be what it is.
She doesn't become impatient.
At the rate of growth,
Some things grow quickly and climb and others take a long while.
Take time for the shoots to push out or the buds to appear.
But bit by bit,
Slowly and surely,
Each thing becomes what it is and the gardener knows this.
And allows this.
And enjoys this.
And her hands are gentle as they inspect each plant and flower.
As everything becomes bigger and things unfurl and there are bright greens,
Different floral colours,
Different textures of plants,
Of leaves,
Of petals.
Different shapes.
And you find as you watch the gardener that you become like the gardener.
You as though you were the gardener.
Who's also waiting patiently.
Watching.
Attending.
Nurturing.
Gently feeding,
Encouraging,
Handling plants and flowers and growth in the way it needs to be treated to become fully what it's meant to be.
You've learned how to be like this.
And perhaps this garden is like the garden of your own life.
Where your role is to discern which person needs what.
To discern when gentle handling is required or when it's right just to wait and to watch.
With the love that hopes and trusts that growth flourishing will come about in time.
So that you might enjoy those people who are in your life just as a gardener enjoys her garden.
It's not for you to be impatient.
Or pushing or pulling situations and people.
Rather to show that patient's graciousness,
Acceptance,
Kindness,
Trust,
Hope in people that they might become what they're meant to be.
And so as we come to the end of our meditation,
Take five more breaths and just allow the presence of love to be with you,
To be in you,
To operate through you.
And when you're ready,
You can open your eyes.
