Sprouts

"Kiss of the sun for pardon. Song of the birds for mirth.
You're closer to God's heart in a garden than any place else on earth."
-- Dorothy Frances Gurney

There are a few things that I long to be that I just don't know if I will ever get there...

1) A morning person...I mean seriously, my name suggests that I would rise with the sun each day, but no. I love to stay up late and sleep late. I love to snuggle in bed as long as I possibly can. I used to joke that my bed wouldn't let me go in the morning; and that is why I was late some (every) mornings. But I romanticise the idea of starting each day with or before the day break.

2) I would love to knit and sew clothes and beautiful things...this is something that I am trying to do here and there, but I don't know that I will ever get to the level I imagine.

3) A gardener. I have a serious brown thumb.
(I am sure there are other things...but I will get on with it...)

This summer our family is experimenting with a garden. We, however, are doing it in the safety net of our friends. We are planting a community garden with some of our friends from church who live close to us. These friends know a little bit more about gardening than I do; I am learning from them. So, who knows, maybe I will become a 'gardener'.

There is so much richness in the idea of this experiment for me. The idea that we can bring forth new life together and that the very act of planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting fruit is an interactive- real time example of our community growing. It draws us into each others lives in a simple way but it is a new step into community for this group of friends. We are actively providing for one another, we are actively caring for one another, and we are actively giving to one another in a way that I think makes God happy for His children.

In this experiment, I get to come along side my friends in a way that feels worshipful.

We planted seeds a few weeks ago, and the sprouts are pushing there way through the soil. They are reaching up for their first breath of sunlight. This is only the beginning for us and for these plants. This weekend we are all coming together to plant our seedlings, then we will wait and watch them mature; and hope that the fruits of our labors are evident in time.

This is one way that I appreciate how food brings together friends and families. This experiment of growing food will bring us all together in a new way. And as we harvest and celebrate, I hope for large meals together full of freshness and life that we helped one another create.