A Fragrant Garden

Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki were married in 1956.
The two cared for 60 cows on a dairy farm that was on their property.
They raised two children in addition to working long hours each day.
Their life was hard but rewarding just because they were together.

They had a dream.
Their dream was to travel around Japan after they both retired.
Everyone said it would be a well-earned trip.
They counted on that time together and looked forward to it with anticipation.

At the age of 52, after thirty years of marriage, Mrs. Kuroki developed eye problems.
Her eye problems turned out to be complications from diabetes.
One week after the diagnosis, Mrs. Kuroki went blind.
Mrs. Kuroki was devastated.

She was upset that she and her husband would never be able to travel together as they planned.
Mrs. Kuroki went into seclusion.
She cut herself off from the world around her and stayed inside her home.
She was depressed about her life of immobility and the loss of a dream.

Mr. Kuroki was troubled since his wife had always been so cheerful.
Her sadness was something he wanted to alleviate.
If only they could have a visitor or two each day.
Perhaps that would cheer her up and get his wife out of the house where she was hiding.

One day, when he was outside, Mr. Kuroki saw a pink shibazakura flower.
The flower’s beauty was not only in the way it looked but also in the way it smelled.
Mr. Kuroiki had an idea.
He would plant a garden of these pink flowers; the smell may entice his wife to come outside.

He also thought that if he planted a garden, people may come to visit.
Having visitors might help to cheer his wife and maybe he would see her smile again.
Mr. Kuroki went to work; he spent two years creating the garden.
He chopped down trees and cared for the young plants.

Today, in Shintomi Town in Miyazaki Prefecture there is a beautiful tourist spot.
In spring, this spot blooms with a carpet of pink shibazakura flowers also known as moss phlox.
The spot is a private residence, yet 7,000 people visit on any given day from late March to April.
People come to see the flowers and to celebrate the love story that made the garden possible.

Ten years have gone by since the garden was created.
The visitors come to see the flowers and smell their sweet aroma.
However, the visitors come for something more.
They come, hoping to see Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki walking together in the garden.

There is something about the tenacity of love.
There is something about the determination to serve another.
There is something about living in such a way that another is considered above yourself.
There is something about going the extra mile for the one you love.

We think about love stories like Mr. and Mrs. Kuroki and we smile.
We feel good about the sweetness of what Mr. Kuroki’s did for his wife.
However, love stories exist all around us each day.
We miss them because they are not quite as grand.

The husband who cares for his wife who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
She no longer knows who he is, yet he still loves her and faithfully tends to her needs.
The husband who changes his wife’s oil in her car and rotates her tires.
The husband who has all the items done on the to-do list before it’s even written.

The wife who supports her husband while he goes to school.
The wife who has that special meal on the table for no reason other than she loves him.
The couple who sit and talk about the needs of their aging parents.
The look from across the room that says, I understand; it’s going to be OK.

None of the little things are witnessed by others.
There is no confetti or brass bands announcing the little things that are done each day.
That’s the way it should be.
Those little things are done for the one we love and for the God we love.

Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the street, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4)

Mr. Kuroki planted a garden for his wife.
He hoped that perhaps a few people might stop to see the flowers and visit his wife.
He never dreamed that his small act of love would touch so many others.
Isn’t that always the way it is with small things?

Small things placed in God’s hands tend to multiply.
Small things placed in God’s hands are used to bless others.
It is never about the grandiose things.
It is simply about the quiet heart that loves well.

The quiet heart that first loves the Lord and then loves others.
Then whatever we do, with the right heart, becomes a fragrant garden.
It becomes a garden of blessing.
The blossoms and the fragrance beckon.