Lessons in Letting Go

It started with a simple patch of grass: a pristine, well-manicured lawn I took pride in, convinced it represented beauty and order in our backyard. But my wife - a true gardener at heart - saw potential beyond the uniform green. She saw a canvas for diversity; a place where veggies, flowers, and fruit trees could take root and bring new life. So, with a reluctant nod, I agreed to let her dig into a large portion of our lawn for garden beds. Little did I know that decision was only the beginning. 

Fast forward a few years (insert many more reluctant nods) and you arrive at the present – both literally and metaphorically. More sections of my precious lawn have been torn out from under my feet to make way for a chicken run, flower gardens, a sand pit, and my son’s ‘Tree Home’ (this will have to be a Newsletter article for another time). 

While working on these projects, wiping away blood, sweat and tears, I realised that this change was all about embracing the unknown and letting go of what I thought I loved to make room for something even better. Here are some unexpected lessons I’ve learned along the way:

1. Growth Requires Letting Go of Control - There’s a certain comfort in a tidy, controlled lawn, but true beauty often lies in the wild and unpredictable. By giving up more of my carefully curated lawn space, I discovered that growth - whether in a garden or in life - requires a willingness to surrender control. Sometimes, we must let go of what feels predictable and safe to experience something richer and more fulfilling.
2. Diversity Brings Depth - A lawn is uniform; a garden is dynamic. As we’ve allowed a wider variety of plants to take root, I have seen how each element brings unique qualities that benefits the entire ecosystem. The flowers attract pollinators, the fruit trees provide shelter, the herbs assist with pest management and the chickens provide rich manure (along with delicious eggs of course!). The beauty of diversity isn’t just aesthetic; it’s functional. In life, too, it is often our differences in perspectives and personalities that adds depth and vibrancy to our experiences, encouraging personal growth and fostering both creativity and resilience.
3. Patience is Key to Transformation - Lawns grow fast, but gardens take time. In the early days, I was tempted to give up, frustrated by what looked like a mess of seedlings, mud and half-finished projects. But as we waited, watered, and chipped away in the garden, it slowly came to life in ways I couldn’t have predicted. The lesson? Transformation is rarely immediate, and patience is essential. Sometimes the greatest beauty unfolds over time, rewarding those who are willing to wait.
4. The Unknown Holds Unexpected Joy - Stepping into the unknown is rarely easy, but it often brings the most joy. I never expected to become a fan of veggie gardens, chickens or flowers, yet here I am, admiring the daily changes and surprises that the garden brings - so much so, that I voluntarily sacrificed the front lawn to make room for a micro flower farm! Surrendering my lawn didn’t mean losing beauty; it meant opening my eyes to a new type of beauty I hadn’t anticipated, one that exceeded any previous notions of what I imagined possible.

As we continue to expand what has become our suburban homestead, I am learning that each step of surrender allows me to discover something new - not just about the land or the ecosystem we are creating, but about myself too. What began as a reluctant compromise has blossomed into a shared passion that reflects equally both our personalities and dreams for the future. 

In life, as in our garden, surrendering what we hold dear doesn’t mean we have to lose it. Instead, it releases the restraints we have invertedly placed around it and paves the way for something unexpected; something that exceeds our expectations of what we thought possible; something new! 

As we enter November, and have the close of 2024 in sight, let’s surrender the limitations we place on ourselves and those around us so we can truly open the lid of what could be; for ourselves, our family and our community. As it states in Isaiah 43:19,

See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland. 

When we release, God reveals. 

Mr Michael Hosken
Assistant Head of Primary