Something about flowers lifts my spirits!
I have always loved gardening. When I was little, it was mainly because I just liked to play in the dirt and sometimes, I was inclined to eat a little of it! But, now that I'm an adult, my flower gardens and my vegetable garden just seem miraculous to me. I love to walk in the dirt and smell it.
I take a seed, place it in my tilled soil and in a few weeks, voila, I have plants. I watch them grow daily because I am so amazed at what is happening. I know there are scientific reasons behind the seeds developing into plants, but in my mind, I imagine God up in heaven looking down and smiling, waving His hand and turning my little seeds into food.
I am picky about my garden. My grandchildren love it and love picking the cherry tomatoes and eating them right off the vine, but they know to stay on the "path" between each row of veggies. It's odd that I feel that way because we live on property that has been in my husband's family for over 60 years. His grandmother grew a garden in the exact spot that I do. She actually raked the dirt as she left the garden and by golly, there better not be a child's footprint in that garden in the morning! Back then, they depended on the food she grew for sustenance through the winter. I feel the same way about mine, even though I can buy fresh vegetables year-round now, I love being able to can the green beans to use all winter long. I love the way the jars of beans look when I take them out of the canner and the sound as the jars pop when they seal.
My Dad always planted a garden till he was no longer physically able to do so. Even as a child, I knew how proud he was to put fresh vegetables on our table that he had grown himself. I feel the same way. When I go into my garden and pick the cucumbers and tomatoes that grew from one little seed, I know why my Dad was so proud of himself. When I take bags of produce to my daughter and my parents, I feel so happy.
I kept wondering why does this make me so happy? Everyone plants a garden and gets results. But to me, the reason always goes back to God. I take a little bitty seed, I put it in the ground, and turn the rest over to God, just as we should do everything in our lives. If He can take a seed and turn it into a bountiful plant full of food, just imagine what he can do for us!
