Recently I have been reading my three year old grand daughter the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Well, its what she calls reading. Actually, I am telling my version of the story and she can't seem to get enough.
I recently told her about Jack tossing his seeds out of the window. When Jack woke up he found a beanstalk with a trunk the size of a tree. It had grown so tall it disappeared into the clouds. Curiously he climbed it to find a beautiful garden full of of all her favorite fruits, grapes, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. "Yum" she said.
I have a friend who by her own account is not much of a gardener. Actually she did not enjoy or understand the need some people have to get their hands in the dirt.
Last fall her landlord decided to do some landscape work on the wonderfully overgrown yard. Along came a work crew to pull out the old growth and deadwood. Pretty soon the yard was a topsy turvy mess of old root systems and barren soil. The rains came and made it into a muddy mess just in time for the holidays. Then came the news that the landscaping would be put off while the owner took a unexpected sabbatical.
Faced with the prospect of a disheveled yard, awakened the artist within. Gravel pathways greeted me on my next visit leading to a sweet little bench to bask in the sun. Each time I stopped to visit there was some new artistic rock sculpture to enjoy. Soon there was nothing to do but get those hands in the dirt and plant some seeds. Gifted seeds, inherited seeds, even chosen seeds. It is summer now and the garden has bloomed and brought color and life to her home.
Friends are like seeds you sow. Some are gifts, some inherited and some you choose. You water and tend them, keeping the weeds out. Ok, a few pretty weeds can stay, but you are careful not to let them choke out the new life. Putting down roots is as important for people as it is for plants. Encourage the growth and enjoy the outcome.
Now we take time to just sit on the stoop and enjoy the fruits of her labor. Yum.
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