I come to the garden alone~

Strawberries from our berry patch

We live in my grandparents' house.  Well, it was their house for about forty years, now it's ours.  When my gramma passed away, I told the Mr. we needed to buy her house.  Since we were going to move, the Mr. wanted to house shop for a bit before we decided.  It made me nuts.  I didn't want a new house.  I wanted to live in my grandparents' house.  So, can you guess what my reaction was to every other house we looked at?  I'll give you a hint.  We live in my grandparent's house. 

Bob and Eleanor (my grandparents) had a great influence on the way I see the world.  They had a farm when I was small where they raised what I remember to be a huge garden every year.  Was it really huge or was I very small?  I don't know.  What I do know is that I can remember precisely what sun warmed dirt hardened into clumps feels like under bare feet.  I find nothing distasteful about the taste of a little bit of dirt clinging to a strawberry and eaten right from the vine.  I can tell by eating a raw green bean if it'll be good cooked with bacon and onions.  And I think gnarly imperfect apples pulled from a fruit laden tree are beautiful.

Bob and Eleanor taught me all of this.  They were utterly enthralled by nature and as far as I could tell, until their respective deaths, they never lost their awe of God's bounty.  They loved the work of it, the look and smell and taste of it.  They never got caught up in being impressed with fine dining or the convenience of fast food.  They seemed to sense the direct connection between God and his provision of sustenance.  I haven't done as well as they did in living this philosophy but I'm so very thankful that I understand it. 

I can remember my Grampa coming in after working in the yard, sweaty and dirty.  He'd say the same thing every time, "I'm all done in."  Then he'd shower and sit down in shorts and a tank top and Gramma would shortly have dinner on the table.  She'd give him a glass of water to have with his meal and if there were fresh green beans or apples baked into a pie, he seemed to be the richest man on earth.  Being tired and dirty didn't seem a bad thing.  It just meant there was something to work for and something to be grateful for.

There is much to be said for a healthy and lean body, for avoiding ingesting things that will make us sick in the long run.  But I think there is more to be said for hanging on to that connection of God to earth to us.  I have found that I love the feel of the vegetables in my hands, the beauty of the colors and the fragrance they release as I cut them into pieces or simmer them.  I rub mint between my fingers and inhale it and feel God walking next to me.  In the cool of the evening, He is there still waiting.

Find a garden and meet your Creator this week.