The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
​-Rumi

Garden #3 - The tree and shrub border

By some good fortune, the boundary between the church parking lot and its neighboring properties is free of overhead electric wires. Therefore tall trees can grow undisturbed almost all the way from Bellefonte Drive to Libby Lane. Most of the trees here emerged spontaneously from seeds blown in: wild cherries, hackberries and redbuds. The pine trees and juniper shrubs on the Libby Lane side were planted in the early 1990s. A few oaks bordering the central parking lot and the shrubs closer to Bellefonte were added later. All these plants are great for birds. They provide shelter and nesting sites. Since they are native to our region, they host a large variety of caterpillars that feed on their leaves and in turn become food for the birds.