Pouring hours into weeding a garden that seems more like a rain forest than a crop, there are moments of doubt as to whether it was worth every last drop of clay spattered sweat and every black fly welt. Those difficult times were fully worth the effort, however, for the chance to look out over a garden on our fifth trip to Raven's Creek, bursting with life of all kinds.

We had four volunteers doing poses in their bug jackets between pulling out weeds, five young local interns screaming at bugs, and three kids, running around, wondering if they could find a snack to top the juiciness of a baby cucumber (somewhat in vain).

It's at this point that I realized I could shift my focus from trying to get life springing from the soils and my attack on weeds to the sharing of experiences, connections and good times with the community this garden was created to serve.

- Robin Bryan
 

Community youth digging in