These are quiet places. Here there are milkweed pods just waiting to be burst. Here there is a soft whisper, quite out of human reach, as the wind fools around with the poplar leaves. But for me, it's more than that. Some bits had been fruitful once, just as my own wilderness back yard used to have a huge and productive vegetable garden, but had fallen into disuse and chaos.
Some bits are merely playfully messy, marked with kids' bicycle paths and tree forts.
Some bits were. years ago, dug over and sown with salt, and it may take a long, long time for them to recover. Some bits, on the other hand, are simply slovenly yard-keeping. I have to trust that. God does see me truly, and accepts me as truly, knowing better than I do how I have got to where I am now. After all, maybe God sees me more clearly than I do.