These Dahlias were volunteer sprouts in my bouquet garden one year. I was so excited that 2 different colors bloomed on the same plant that I snipped them off and brought them inside for a photoshoot. Every time I see them, they make me smile. The flowers look like old friends, laughing or singing together. The whimsical tones of kinship and loyalty inspired me to create the “Let’s grow together” design.Choosing to grow alongside someone, being able to witness, support, and love many versions of them is a sacred task. I feel honored by the opportunities to conquer challenges, to overcome hardships, to change, to transcend, and to grow with another soul – at different paces, in different ways, incrementally or exponentially, sometimes against all odds, but together.
Not everyone is meant to join us for our whole journey and that’s okay. Bitterly painful sometimes, but okay. We can still honor the short walks we take with those who are authentically rooting for us. The souls who carry us, challenge us, show us their truths, and help us find our own. The souls who lend us their strength, their smile, their courage when we need it the most. Those who, join our path temporarily, but leave a permanent mark on our hearts. Those who laugh with us, cry with us, fight beside us, make us better, and grow as we grow. They’re now a part of us, both those who no longer walk with us, and those who’ve never left our side.
As I write this so many names and faces tug at my heart. Many of them probably never knew what an impact they had. They’ll never know how their words still bring me courage, how memories of them make me smile, and how, even though we walk different paths now, I carry them with me. And always will, because someone who prioritizes connection and authenticity, invests completely, sees the real you, and doesn’t turn away…is very precious.
They can turn time in to treasure, by just walking along side you.
The steadfast friend who’s loyalty keeps you grounded (pets count too!).
The courageous parent who grows along with their children.
The humble teacher who learns from their students.
A found family who sticks closer than a brother.
The wise leader who grows with their team.
Siblings who cheer for each other as they mark each milestone.
And partnerships that honor differences and finds balance together.
Here’s to personal growth – and those who hold on to us throughout our journey.
Let’s grow together!Let's Grow Together — Where This Story Continues
Let’s Grow Together
Let’s Grow Together – Standard Tote
Grow Together
Let’s Grow Together Sweatshirt
My husband and I met 20 years ago today. Our strengths and weaknesses are a perfectly balanced yin and yang. He’s a strategist and I’m a dreamer. He thinks in spreadsheets and formulas, careful to process and slow to react. I think in moods and colors, following intuition and whim without hesitation. It was a rough go for a while as our worlds didn’t seem to overlap at all. But, we have learned to communicate and collaborate. We have learned to meet each other where we are, to see our differences as assets, and to mesh our two styles into one powerhouse of progress. We’re actually a really good team. Over the years we have built several small businesses, a few houses, a beautiful family, and an online shop that shifted through 13 years of innovation before becoming the seed that eventually sprouted A Nod to Nature….and we’ve done it all together.
Ella was one tough chick. We brought her home from the feed store with a mixed batch of baby chickens and guineas. She was the odd one out, a little yellow runt. As she grew and lost her fluff, she developed pure white feathers…a stark contrast to the colorful bunch around her. She was smaller and leaner than the rest, but fast and fierce.
Our family tends toward superhuman undertakings. One such project was a 3,000 sq ft garden created from scratch on some pretty rough land. We employed permaculture techniques, introduced beneficial nematodes, and produced our own organic fertilizers. Lasagna, no-till, deep mulch, cedar beds, waffle grids, sculpted berms, and hügelkultur…we tried them all. The weather took drastic swings every season and kept us scrambling to adapt. It took years and years to create a manageable system for sowing and harvest and lots of patience and mistakes to get a balanced ecosystem.
Every year for over a decade, the blustery autumn winds would shake an abandoned nest from the 100 year old Maple tree in our yard. We would gently collect it from the grass and admire the sweet token of beauty and diligence, wondering about the feathered family who had boldly spread their wings, left their carefully crafted home behind, and set off on a new adventure.
