Seasons in My Garden: Meditations from a Hermitage

by Elizabeth Wagner

In Seasons in My Garden , award-winning writer Sr. Elizabeth Wagner reveals how tending to a garden in her Maine hermitage brought her to a deeper understanding of what it means to have faith, love others, and hope in the mercy of God. Her keen eye for the most intricate details of nature will help you find a path that brings you closer to God as well.

Sr. Wagner believed God was calling her into deeper contemplation, so she built a hermitage in the Maine wilderness in order to ponder nature and become closer to God.

Seasons in My Garden is a thought-provoking series of meditations, written as Sr. Wagner watched her own monastic garden progress through the seasons. Her reflections invite you to look over her shoulder as she tends to her beautiful garden and meditates on the mysteries of God's creation and how it corresponds with her own life.

In this captivating book, you will relate to Sr. Wagner as she struggles with feelings of a cold heart--just as her garden lay frozen under a foot of snow--and realizing that God was working to renew her spirit. As sudden storms threatened to destroy her hard work, Sr. Wagner will help you understand that careful preparation of the soul will help you resist the temptation to resent others.

Seasons in My Garden intricately weaves insights from Sr. Wagner's own growth through the seasons with spiritual guidance and an understanding that patient tending to your soul will help you grow into a beautiful garden that God can use to reflect his glory.

241 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2016

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of those the perfect book at perfect time kind of a thing. Elizabeth Wagner started her own convent to create a way of life that focused more on solitude, which to me is kind of amazing and beautiful. The book is broken down into seasons so it begins with Winter and ends with Autumn, and it's just so lovely because she tends to follow the church calendar, for obvious reasons but it brings so much into perspective. And for me, who was taking Spiritual Formation this semester and doing a lot of introspection in light of the past few months, especially with the election and etc. I feel like to an extent I kind of just lost myself into the noise of the world as oppose to being a light of Christ in the world and I think in many ways this book helped me to refocus myself and rethink certain things or realign myself.

I don't think this book is for everyone, but if you like sort of contemplation narratives, or books that are sort of more quiet like there is no real theme except for the simplicity of life than I think this book may be for you.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sr. Elizabeth Wagner, from her hermitage in Maine, shares reflections on the spiritual life as related to the changing seasons and the waxing and waning of life in her gardens and orchards. Each reflection is beautifully contemplative but relatable even to the busiest reader. Gardening is definitely a rich analogy for the spiritual life. Easy to pick up this book throughout the year and find fitting reflections for any time. Each feels like a retreat.

[Janka H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a deep, honest and reflective collections of meditations of Catholic religious sister living in the hermitage. Sr. Wagner here holds very little of doors closed as she invites you into the depth of her thoughts and emotions. She is unconventionally honest and a very deep thinker. The sea of her thoughts is very deep - and you can learn a lot here (at least I a coming from the pages of this book enriched by the wisdom and by the frankness of the authoress).
But also - the deep sea brings some heaviness and natural pressure - and as sister can go very deep, some of her thoughts are a bit heavy on philosophy and some sadness (I think of a melancholical nature here). Sometimes I would wish for a lighter hand and for more joy and hope.
Yet sister comes in front of her reader as she is, bringing a gift of herself, and this is a precious thing.
So thank you, Sr. Wagner, for the gift of your wisdom, shared humanity and for the gift of your honesty.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful spiritual reflections based on the seasons, the trees and the plants in her garden. Elizabeth Wagner lives her religious life in a hermitage in Maine. This is an inspiring and well written book.

[Lisa B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just lovely!

[K. Cullerton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elizabeth Wagner's thoughts on her garden and her life was very peaceful and introspective.

[Lea]

My sister Oren recommends this book and it is nice to keep by my bedside and read and reread

[Mary Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blends seasonal gardening with care for our souls and spirits. A book to reflect on more than one time.