Getting older comes with many joys, challenges and opportunities to learn — much like gardening. At least that’s how Venice Williams looks at it, as she heads into the autumn of her life.
“I’m at age 65, nearing the end of summer and going into my autumn, going into my fall,” she says. “This garden right now represents how I feel about my own life journey.”
Williams is the executive director of Alice’s Garden Urban Farm and the Fondy Food Center, and she regularly joins us for our series Dig In!
She recently marked her 65th birthday with a weekend-long celebration at Alice’s Garden, where she was joined by many of the friends she’s met through Milwaukee’s urban agriculture scene over the years.
“Milwaukee has gifted me — and I’m trying not to cry — with so many beautiful relationships. So many beautiful relationships, just as creation has gifted me with beautiful relationships with herbs and seeds and plants,” she says.
In the coming year, Williams is looking forward to a full calendar of programming at Alice’s Garden, a revamp of her Hibiscus Holistics product line and a writing retreat to focus on a book about her life.
“We have the responsibility of not taking everything with us,” she says. “And there are things that I need to put on paper so that my great-great-great grandson may know who I was, and continue to be, as I live in him beyond my breath.”
Lake Effect’s Joy Powers joined Williams as she reflects on 65 years of life. You can listen to their conversation above.
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