Keren Dibbens-Wyatt has produced a beautiful set of meditations rooted in the many aspects of the English garden. With excellent full-color illustrations, she offers wide-ranging meditations on God and the human condition in an imaginative, vibrant, even at times whimsical way. From likening empty snail shells to the empty tomb of the risen Christ, to considering the many benefits of bird droppings, Dibbens-Wyatt combines careful attention to the details of the everyday with a sense of the broader lessons they can teach us. Without being didactic, twee, or just plain "pious," God's handicraft in the environment, both human and non-human, is given thorough consideration. The less pretty aspects are not shied from, the predations of the sparrow-hawk and numerous others are accepted as part of life, yet not ultimately its whole. The diverse flora and fauna of the garden, from common blackbirds and roses to orange ladybirds and Greengages are portrayed with considerable charm, the sparrow for instance being likened to a suited businessman. Each part is understood as fulfilling God's greater plan, even if at times this does not always seem obvious (as with wasps). There is a poetic quality to her observations, as in her use of imagery and alliteration in describing the mole as "tunnelling troglodytes, eternal excavators." There is a childlike relish in the beauty of God's creation, joined with a mature understanding of life's challenges. Her moving consideration of the Rowan tree, in relation to her enduring husband of the same name, is a fine example. Personal memories of childhood, as with seagulls and old summer holidays, add a personal tint that enriches matters. There are many charming allusions to popular culture, including hobbits. I particularly liked the imagery of the Rusty Tussock Caterpillar as a Reggae performer. Scripture is also brought to play, the armor of the woodlouse illustrating St Paul's exhortation to put on the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:11. This book is profoundly Christian, but can be read with pleasure by people of all faiths and none. It is a therapeutic work that calmly leads us to see God in our own back yard.
(Source: Amazon.com)
