We are born into the garden of innocence: whole and complete, pure and untainted, sealed with wonder and awe. When we cried, someone comforted us. When we were hungry, someone fed us.

But somewhere along the way, we knew we had to leave home.  We knew we needed to heed the counsel of Adam and Eve, leave the garden of innocence, so we could rediscover the garden of wholeness dwelling within.

Our journey was fraught with adventure and peril as life taught us its wisdom. Hardship, attachments, and false gods flung their darts, trying to numb and harden us, trying to veer us off path.  But we pressed on.

Slowly, as others taught us how to open our hearts, we experienced traces of clarity.  Insight. We began to transform. Unfold. We discovered our deepest desire is to become who we are in God.

And one day, as we sat in the Quiet surveying the paths we had trodden, we awakened to the truth that the Life-Giver has chosen us for his in-dwelling Presence.  And in that moment, the gate opened.  There in the garden of wholeness the herbs and spices, the rich fruits of love overflowed within us, filling us with aromas of:

• Serenity
• Balance
• Acceptance
• Integration
• Discernment. 

For the first time we felt complete.
One with ourselves. 
One with others.
One with the Creator. 

Our feet had caught up with our hearts.


—brian j plachta