A Gardener’s Touch

Everyone has a different take on how they are #LivingTN. Emily puts a new spin on how she’s got the natural touch of Tennessee.


Written by: Emily Magee

 

“When I first moved to Nashville I had a lot to learn about myself and a lot of learn about the life ahead of me. All those pretty Tennessee wildflowers showed me that often times in the midst of sorrow, beautiful little surprises can pop up where you least expect them..”

Since I moved to Nashville and started trying to grow in many ways myself, I decided the best way to learn how to do that is to start growing more and more veggies and plants, practice makes perfect, right? I came here in search of myself, in search of the whispers of His voice, and in search of beauty. I began planting tomato plant, after tomato plant, after tomato plant. I discovered that in order for anything to grow, it needs a little patience, a little nurturing, and a lot of love. Those tomatoes tested my patience but I kept loving them, I kept caring for them when trips to the kitchen sink with my tiny watering can seemed oh so far away, mostly I just kept eating them because they were so yummy, but I continued to brush off the broken pieces so they could become stronger, and I learned how to do the same thing for myself.


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Soon after my tomato garden began, I started cooking yummy recipes using all the different tomatoes I was accumulating. I would finish a recipe, walk out my front door, and gather some of the wildflowers I found near my little forest home to style my recipes in a way that felt natural, organic, and beautiful to me. My first styled photo had me hooked, and I would venture outside each time I made a recipe so I could make them more beautiful, which somehow made them taste better, too.


I read recently that wildflowers bloom in places of destruction. They move in after a forest fire and create something so beautiful out of such extreme loss. Sometimes I think they created beauty after the loss in my life, too. When I first moved to Nashville I had a lot to learn about myself and a lot of learn about the life ahead of me. All those pretty Tennessee wildflowers showed me that often times in the midst of sorrow, beautiful little surprises can pop up where you least expect them, and they constantly teach me to look for the ways God leaves us sweet gifts in every day life. I have learned, through all this beautiful nature I am surrounded by in magical Tennessee, that I will always have more to learn, always have more room to grow, and that inspiration and healing is shown to me every where I look outdoors. I am constantly inspired by the growth around me, and my favorite days are the ones in which I am able to channel all these passions, where I can rest in the peace I feel by utilizing all the gifts I’ve been given. Like I can become one with the One who gave me it all, I can use all the green I find outdoors, combine it with the passion I find within, and create something beautiful for the special community around me.


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Most days, I come home to more tomatoes and wildflowers than I can even find room for, and slowly but surely I am growing, too. This Tennessee sun helps nurture my plants and my heart as well, and I will forever be grateful for my Tennessee tomatoes for showing me strength. #LivingTN

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