In Due Season

 

Today my daughter picked a tomato.  Earlier this summer, we planted a wide variety of seeds in our patio container garden.  The tomatos were an heirloom variety, small, orange and especially sweet.  After tasting a few of these last year, I embarked on an educational gardening project with my daughter Abigail.

Gardening for me has been a humbling experience.  I realize that I am completely incapable of making anything grow.  I can find good soil, plant seeds, water diligently and prune. I can try to keep harmful pests and diseases away and can add a bit of fertilizer to give the plants a boost.  I did all of these things because I could.  There were, however, things that I could not do.

I could not ensure that our tomatos would grow or that they would be sweet.  Nor could I rush the process.  The seeds had to germinate before they became seedlings.  The seelings had to grow before they could produce flowers and only after they flowered would tomatos appear.  That’s the way it was.

Every other day, Abigail would ask if the tomatos were ready to be picked.  ‘No Abigail,’ I would say, ‘We have to wait until they turn orange.’  

Gardnening this summer has been a test of patience.  Each and every day, I I have been reminded to appreciate the various stages of growth.  My daughter learned about plants.  I learned more about her. Stages of development are what they are.  They are all necessary for healthy growth.

My daughter picked a tomato today…and yes, it was very sweet.

‘To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.’ Ecclesiastes 3:1