An Unlikely Gardener: Prose and Poems
by Francis Etheredge
This book began as a failed article about gardening; however, having written one, several more followed and so it became a short book, wonderfully enriched by the criticisms of my eldest daughter and a “Foreword” by an Anglican author, embracing our communion in the Christian Faith. But it is not so much about an experienced, knowledgeable, semi-successful gardener, as about a writer who goes into his back garden in the course of writing breaks and ends up writing about what happens “out there” and “in here”. It is part of an autobiographical series and so the author looks at his own life as well as what is around him; and, taking advantage of the multifaceted theme of nature, almost locally inconsequential as well as world-wide and geographically immensely significant, he writes “to” and “from” his own activities and the thoughts that break and burst into words. There are little discoveries, observations and themes; but, principally, it is a book about thought taking a start from going “to and fro” into the Garden of God in the hope that the flight of a word will catch the sunlight as it rises and speaks of what is so much greater than itself: an ascent, indeed, on a spiral staircase, “inlaid” in creation, to the One greater than any account of whom can be given!
Paperback: $14.95 | Kindle: $9.99
CONTENTS
Foreword, Poem and Biography by Christine Sunderland: “A Garden of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty”
Introduction, other books by this author, and a summary of this book
The First Garden: The Garden of Eden
A poem called: “Beautiful”
Part I: Conversions
The Garden of Eden and the Fall
A triptych called “The Unlikely Gardener”
Part II: Plants and Family Life
A Garden of Delights and The Marriage Feast at Cana
A poem called “Difference”
Part III: The Global Starts at Home
The Road to Emmaus (Lk 24: 13-35)
A poem called: “Time and Change”
Part IV: Eating up the Time
The Song of Songs: A Garden of Delights
A poem called: “Hands”
Part V: Talking Points
The garden of the world and the Word of God
A poem called “Global Gardening”
Part VI: A Question of Science
Biblical Science
A poem called “Shells”
Part VII: Philosophy and Ecology
The vocation to Global Gardening
A poem called: “Clothes
Part VIII: The Identity of a Seed
An Enclosed Garden
A poem called “Tree Seeds”
Part IX: We Are Not Products
The Garden of Gethsemane
A poem called “The Winter Tree”
Part X: The Garden of God
The future Garden
A poem called “Lilies”
IN THE NEWS
A shout out to Mary Grenchus of the Grenchus Foundation for sharing the lead poem, entitled “Beautiful”, on her blog.
TESTIMONIALS
“A vision of loveliness, passing through time and space
Like a glance at the opening and flowering of grace.”
“This final couplet of An Unlikely Gardener, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, also aptly describes the experience of reading this collection of prose and poetry by Francis Etheredge. For indeed we behold the loveliness Etheredge shows us, with a gardener’s eye for displaying beauty and juxtaposing this lush crop with lessons firmly rooted in seasoned experience. In An Unlikely Gardener, Etheredge offers a well-ripened harvest of work, filled with the sun and shadow of hard-won wisdom learned over the literal and symbolic gardens of abundant years. Etheredge’s signature literary style is present in this volume in full splendour— journeying deftly from prose to poetry and back again— and his show-stopping hybrid is one that weaves faith and Scripture with family stories and verse bursting forth with tendrils of lush language. Francis Etheredge writes of, ‘Going into the garden with a cup of tea…’ and I suggest you enter this writer’s garden with a cup of tea large enough to fully savor the experience. The Unlikely Gardener sings of ‘The one who comes, you are the one who is already here, Ready and able to save me into the bark of Peter, You who are the Risen Christ, rising in me.’ May the Saviour, the greatest of all gardeners, accompany you through this ‘vision of loveliness’ Etheredge has written, and may you grow closer to Him because of it.” — Annabelle Moseley, author of Awake with Christ: Living the Catholic Holy Hour in Your Home (How Keeping God Prayerful Company in the Garden of Gethsemane can Change Your Life)
“As a lifelong Christian with a particularly strong passion for just about everything outdoors, I found An Unlikely Gardener to be thought provoking, spiritually nourishing, and refreshing. Akin to a beautiful and bountiful garden that begins, thrives, dies, requires work and thought along the way, and then brings goodness again, Etheredge has composed and arranged his own garden of interlacing stories, observations, reflections, and rich poetic verse that bring God’s gifts of the personal human experience, nature, and written word – with reminder of our call for Christian stewardship – into one unique place, An Unlikely Gardener.” — Tom Sunderland, Native Edge Landscapes | MLA, University of Colorado Denver
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr. Francis Etheredge is married with eight children, plus three in heaven.
Francis is currently a freelance writer and speaker and his “Posts” on LinkedIn can be viewed here. Poetry; short articles; autobiographical blog; excerpts from books; and “Philosophize: A Ten Minute Write.”
For a list of all of Francis’ books published by En Route Books and Media, click here.
See Francis’ other books, too, entitled Scripture: A Unique Word, From Truth and truth: Volume I-Faithful Reason, From Truth and truth: Volume II: Faith and Reason in Dialogue, From Truth and truth: Volume III: Faith is Married Reason.
He has earned a BA Div (Hons), MA in Catholic Theology, PGC in Biblical Studies, PGC in Higher Education, and an MA in Marriage and Family (Distinction).
Enjoy these additional articles by Francis Etheredge:
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