Stewarding Our Land

Before we started the process of house-hunting, Garrett had joked that he really wanted a fence post where he could stand with a morning cup of coffee and admire his land. Now, we had no intention of finding a property with anything more than a standard backyard, but the idea was funny.

Fast forward several years to the spring of 2023. While we worked through the process of closing on our house, we had this running catchphrase that we were about to become “stewards of the land.”

I can’t say it was really a joke because I quite earnestly felt an incoming sense of responsibility for being the caretaker of our modest outdoor space.

On a Tuesday in the middle of April, the afternoon after we completed the last haul of boxes from the city, we got outside and got to work.

My task: picking up sticks so Garrett could mow the lawn.

I quickly realized that our “modest” outdoor space felt a lot bigger when I actually had to comb through the yard to pick up every stick.

Admittedly, I had a history of turning up my nose at outside work - I did not like to get my hands dirty. I still don’t, but find the yard gloves an adequate barrier.

Now that this land was ours, my perception transformed. No one else but us would take care of this quarter-acre of the world. My excitement and drive paired well with my limited experience and lack of knowledge.

Working on our land has been a lesson in patience and humility. We have learned to wait to see results. We have learned to be okay with failure. We have learned that is fun to be amateurs - pursuing this out of love first and foremost.

Now that we’ve had a little more than a year to work on our stewardship, my appreciation is greater than ever. We’ve had wonderful successes in our garden, crushing defeats, and countless tasks that we’ve done out of love for our very own land.