Ep 236. What We Release, What We Grow

Mary Stone reflects on releasing what no longer serves us and setting intentions that grow in their own time, inspired by nature's rhythms and a New Year water ceremony hosted by Rev. Dr. Christina Tillotson. Through garden metaphors and personal insights, she reminds us that what we let go of creates space for quiet, lasting growth.

Thank you for tuning in! 

Link for more about Rev. Dr. Christina Tillotson

Link to Companion Blog Post: What We Release, What We Grow

Related Podcasts and Blog Posts you'll enjoy:

Essential Nutrients for Gardens and Life - Blog Post

Episode 141. Essential Nutrients for Gardens and Life

Benefits of Gardening - Blog Post

Ep 139. Legends of Holly and Christmas Trees

 Legend of Holly & Christmas Trees - Blog Post 

Live Christmas Trees - Blog

8888

I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. 

You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.

Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page

 Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,

Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

Ep 236 What We Release, What We Grow

Sat, Jan 03, 2026 8:36 PM • 11:43

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Garden dilemmas, nature inspirations, New Year's Eve water ceremony, Tai Chi Cha, releasing intentions, setting intentions, composting, self-doubt, self-sabotage, Christmas tree repurposing, bird food ornaments, garden analogies, spiritual roots, emotional well-being, garden of life.

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights, and discoveries. It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:26

Hello there. It's Mary Stone, and welcome to a new year. I am sitting on a very cold screen porch after a quick cross-country ski around the property, a light dusting, about an inch of snow fell overnight, softening the ice-skating rink below that formed after last week's storm event, which was the oddest one. We had a snow cone, kind of snow pellet dropping about an inch, and then a couple of inches of fluff. But then rain came, and it turned into an ice-skating rink. It was really a mess. But today the world seems quieter, the kind of quiet that lets you hear yourself think, or, maybe more importantly, lets you feel. 

Mary Stone  01:07

Thank you to those who reached back after our last episode, what nature in gardens gifted us. It was such a joy to revisit the highlights of our weekly chats in 2025 and the lessons we carry forward like saved seeds tucked into packets waiting for the right moment to plant. For the past few years, I've been invited to the New Year's Eve water ceremony hosted by a dear writer friend of mine, Reverend Dr.Christina Tolleston of the Seaside Center for Spiritual Living. Christina is the author of a book in progress titled Digital souls, weaving loss, spirituality, and technology to transform your life. And she's also a Tai Chi Cha instructor. I've had the joy of taking her classes online. Tai Chi Cha. For those unfamiliar, is a gentle, moving meditation shown to reduce stress and improve balance. Wait a minute. You have to hear the barred owl. Did you hear that? Oh, I just love the sound of him. I hope it's mate answers back, even in winter, there it is. There it is. 

Mary Stone  02:20

So where was I? Tai Chi. Cha. For those unfamiliar, it is a gentle moving meditation shown to reduce stress, improve balance and circulation, and support emotional well-being, much like the patience of gardening, where small acts of tending over time nurture beautiful and bountiful results. The ceremony, which is free for anyone who wants to participate, is held on West Coast time because the center is in California. And I'll have to admit, I didn't make it this year. I fell asleep watching a movie, but in my defense, I did wake up shortly after midnight to welcome the new year in my own quiet way, and maybe that too was perfect.

Mary Stone  03:07

In years past, when I did attend, the ceremony centered on releasing what no longer serves us from the previous year and setting intentions for the year ahead. Participants wrote things down and placed them in a bowl of water as a symbol of release. But really, you can do this any way it feels right to you, on paper, in your journal, or even quietly in your mind. Think of it like composting. We don't discard what's spent, we return it to the soil where it can break down and eventually nourish something new. Christina invited us to release feelings and habits that no longer serve us or anyone else, the things that aren't the truth of who we are-- old narratives like invasive plants that once took hold but no longer belong in the garden we're tending now. When I look back at some of my notes from earlier years, I see how much has shifted. In one season, I wrote about wanting to release self-doubt and self-sabotage, worry, fear, and even physical pain. Some of these things have eased, thankfully. Some have transformed. Some worry still pops up now and then, but when it does, I pause and breathe and return to trust, much like stepping back and letting nature do what it does best. 

Mary Stone  04:29

Christina then speaks about setting intentions or visions, rather than New Year's resolutions, which we know often fade faster than new seedlings left in full sun before they've had a chance to harden off. I can't help but think of garden analogies for such things. She suggests beginning intentions with the word I am. The phrase I am has deep spiritual roots in the Christian tradition. When God says I am, it expresses eternal presence and self. Existence being beyond time definition or limitation. When we say I am, we are declaring our belief that God lives within us, or at least that's how I understand it. And for those of you who are not believers in God, you can use the word universe or source. It's all the same in my mind. 

Mary Stone  05:19

Last year, some of my I am intentions included. I am helping people heal and grow in their lives. I am relaxed about what I share through the column, the podcast, and the book underway. I am healthy. I am on my way to finishing the book, The Lesson of Leaf. Christina once said, “You never know how long it takes for the seed of intention to grow.”  Until we look at them the following year. Isn't that just like the garden, some seeds sprout quickly, others take seasons, and some remain dormant until conditions are just right. 

Mary Stone  05:57

Other intentions I've written over the years include: I am more at peace. I am making a difference in improving care for the elderly and the gravely ill. And I am deeply grateful to report that my singing partner, Ken Roberts, and I are wrapping up the final recordings for our project, The Songs of Hospice. What began as a way to raise awareness about the end-of-life care has grown into something more, a calling card for the community, helping to raise support, to bring the Karen and Quillan Home for Hospice back to life, serving patients and families as it has so beautifully for the past 11 years.

Mary Stone  06:35

 Speaking of letting go, on Christmas Day, driving to a friend's house in Sparta, New Jersey, I passed a local shop that sells organic foods. They also sell annuals and starter plants, and perennials during the growing season. Outside stood a row of cut Christmas trees, many still unsold. It always brings heaviness, the same feeling I get seeing trees tossed by the roadside after the holidays. It reminds me of a story I shared some time ago, "Repurposing Christmas Trees," and it starts like this.

Mary Stone  07:09

 Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, my heart sinks when I see Christmas trees tossed curbside right after New Year's Day. I want to knock on the door and share that it's not even the 12th day of Christmas. Yet most know the legendary Carol, "The 12 Days of Christmas," which begins on the first day of Christmas. My true love sent to me a partridge in a pear tree. But many don't know that the 12 Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day and end on January 6, when the three wise men come upon baby Jesus.  The 12th day of Christmas is also called Three Kings Day, The Epiphany, or Little Christmas, and surely justifies keeping your tree standing at least a few days after that.  Unless you used a living, balled-and-burlapped, or container tree, which are my favorites, in which case only seven to 10 days indoors in a heated home is suggested. There's actually a how to do all that with live Christmas trees. I'll put a link in the show notes that I can share with you. 

Mary Stone  08:10

Even after January 6, it still feels sad to see Christmas trees thrown on the side of the road, unless your township gathers them to turn them into mulch, rather than putting them in a landfill. Beyond mulching them, though, there is more joy these beauties can provide.  Why not move your undecorated tree outside, keeping it in the stand, then add heart-shaped ornaments for Valentine's Day, shamrocks for St Patrick's Day, or any other wintry decorations or finds from your garden that tickle your fancy?  Better yet, adorn your retired Christmas tree with bird food, such as suet and bird seed made into ornaments or frosted pine cones with natural peanut butter, then roll them in the bird seed, even unbuttered and unsalted, strong popcorn looks charming.  

Mary Stone  08:57

After a winter of enjoying your tree outside, turn it into an animal shelter come spring, if you have a wooded area or permission to add to someone else's. Place it in a brush pile or create a habitat for fish or water insects by sinking your tree in a pond. Of course, you'll need permission for that if the pond is not on your property. Jason from Washington, New Jersey, saves his tree and uses it as a structure to grow climbing beans or cucumbers. Great idea, Jason, Santa would be proud.  Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone.com.

Mary Stone  09:33

 I can't help but mention a previous story. Since we're talking about Christmas trees in Episode 139, we spoke about the legend of holly and Christmas trees. I invite you to tune i,n too, and I will put a link in the show notes. Yes, indeed, repurposing Christmas trees is about honoring what has given us beauty and finding ways to let it continue serving life, rather than discarding it too soon.  Just as we do with intentions and transitions, we can extend their purpose, let them transform, and return them to the cycle of giving and growing. And so as we step into this new year, I invite you not to follow anyone else's ritual exactly, but to explore your own. What's ready to be released, what's ready to be planted, and what might need more time beneath the soil. And if you'd like to learn more about Christina Tolleston and her work, including future ceremonies and offerings, you can visit her website@enhancing.com.

Mary Stone  10:35

 May this year unfold gently, may you trust the seasons you're in, and may your intentions, like well-tended gardens, grow in their own perfect time. I want to thank all of you for joining me here on the screen porch. I am freezing cold. I can't wait to go back inside. I have a completely frozen right hand, holding the microphone. I really do appreciate the time you share with me, and if you've enjoyed the podcast, please pass it forward to a friend or two so they can join us in learning and growing in this garden of life. It means so much. See you next time. 

Mary Stone  11:12

You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at GardenDilemmas.com and on Instagram at the hashtag MaryElaineStone: garden dilemmas, delights, and discoveries as produced by Alex Bartling.  Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.