Lo, there came a day that my beautiful, eldest daughter
arrived home from her Institution of Learning in a horseless carriage, that some call a minivan. If it were known, Anna, is one of the favorite
women in my life, albeit she does take quite a lot of time in the room of sinks
and baths and sometimes bosses her brothers.
But that is Another Story for Another Day.
Anna did go to the box wherein are oft found things like
Junk Mail and Bills and occasionally Letters from Pen Pals. When my eldest returned, she had with her
two pieces of Junk Mail and one item that made my heart glow a little brighter.
For, she had found with the other items, a Catalog from a
Seed Company.
Now, I am Full of Years and can remember when companies like
JC Penney and Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck and Company sent Catalogs to
our home. At the time, I was still in my youth and lacking funds did not actually buy anything from those books. Unlike those, I have been known
to purchase things from businesses which sell things for My Garden.
With some reverence I opened the glossy leaves of the
Catalog and began to gaze at the different seeds and products found
therein.
For, Seed Catalogs speak to me of Spring Time coming. Beyond the windows of my home, I can still
see a white substance, that resembles sand, but is quite a bit colder than
that, but as I look at Goliath Tomato Seeds, Yukon Gold Seed Potatoes, and Creme Puff Popcorn Seed, I
can envision a brisk spring morning when I will begin to plant my garden.
The great men and women who put together Seed Catalogs may
not believe in God, but they certainly believe in His faithfulness in bringing
around the seasons again. Further, they
believe that a Gardener and His Money are Soon Parted.
Of course, the pages of each Catalog reveal images of
perfect produce. The names which have been given to the varieties tell, as well, of the glorious abilities of each vegetable: Elite Zucchini, Perfection Zucchini, Super
Sugar Sprint Peas, Incredible Sweet Corn, and many others reveal themselves as paragons.
Truly, there are many gardeners, who plan in February for a
garden of perfection, only to wonder, while drenched in perspiration in July,
if they have Bitten off More than they could Chew.
This is the way of life.
Many start strong, with visions of what the future could be and Dreams
of Gardens Yet to Come, but with the Toil of Weeding and the Onslaught of Squash Bugs, comes a faltering. The Vision is lost and some even give up.
Just as in life, the Gardeners who keep their Vision and Persevere
will be rewarded.
More than Zucchini awaits the Faithful.
I enjoyed your parable! Every garden enthusiast will understand perfectly. This winter I planted every old packet of tomato seeds I could find, figuring that something might come of it. Well, we had more tomatoes than we could eat, of every size and color! So this was very encouraging, because Florida is a terrible place to have a veggie garden. It's not like having a garden up north. But we occasionally have some successes, and if nothing else: there's always green beans.
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