Faith and Hope

Putting seeds into the ground and then having no power to make them grow is really challenging my faith and hope.  I have to trust to the seeds and to the sun and to the rain.

Tim's stuff- the trees and berries- are all doing great.  He's got blossoms on root stock and fruit on trees.  Last night I confessed to him that I was jealous that he'd have all the cool stuff.

I've been worried that nothing would grow, that somehow I hadn't done enough, that I should be working harder or doing something other than just waiting and hoping.  I'm German, Scottish, and English and I'm much more comfortable trying harder than being a person of faith.

The professional farmers' fields are all green with these perfect rows of millions of little corn sprouts.  Knee high by the 4th of July is looking plausible even with their late start.  I had a budding case of corn envy. 

It's hard as a first time farmer to believe that putting seeds into manure and dirt and waiting is going to yield anything.  Seems like a marketing gimmick- too good to be true. 

But holy smokes- stuff is growing!  It is like magic!

 Onion and lettuce

Tomato, I think

It's a pepper!

Clover- up and sprouted

 Three Sisters Garden- corn sprouts of my own

Our first produce of the year- a radish.

When I saw how tiny it was, I asked Anjali if she could put it back.

The answer is no.

I divided it into pieces and we all tried a tiny nibble.

We've got to start somewhere.

I'm so giddy I feel like a first time mom.  "Look at this radish.  Isn't it a dandy?  I didn't even recognize it and had to be told.  But there it is even without my knowing.  And see that pepper?  That's a real, honest-to-goodness pepper growing in my garden.  And those onions, I thought I'd probably waited too long to plant those but in faith I did anyway, just in case, and now look at them go!  And lettuce- can you believe that's actual salad?  I knew that tomato when it was only a little sprout and now look at you!"

I chose and I dreamed.  I moved dirt and hauled manure.  I threw some seeds and labeled some popsicle sticks and watered some sprouts.  I had no magic and very little faith.  No way I could make even one seed sprout or one drop of rain fall or one ray of sun shine.  But they did sprout and fall and shine anyway.  While I did nothing but hope.

Maybe someday I'll be confident in my partnership with plants and will feel frustrated at what doesn't sprout.

But today, friends, today, I held a small faith and took my first nibble of hope.