Gardening is something that may not interest some but even with my limited capabilities now I find it fascinating. In fact, now that I’m not able to care for it as I once could, I find it even more fascinating. I wondered, the past few years, why this was so. I did many other things that held my interest at the time but now in my days of “winter” I’m beginning to see the “why.”

At the time they were needed. Then the “needs” and the “time” moved on. Like Nature, God is constantly “upgrading” us. Nature never sleeps and neither does God. They both present themselves, as necessary, for the lessons at hand and who needs our help now. The “now” is constantly changing with each day. We are taught to look to this day only. Tomorrow isn’t here and yesterday is gone. The cliché’ still holds whether we think it’s overdone or not. We may not see the end of this day. I’ve always known this but as I’ve grown older it is sinking into my consciousness as something to act on and not something to ponder.

As I work the ground of poor soil and rocks I don’t really dwell on them, but the blooms to come. The colors of the blossoms are so vivid, the intricate design of each so perfect and original, it is lesson after lesson for those who have a heart for gardening. In my case now it has narrowed down to flowers but what a blessing they are.

I have a friend who brought me three tomato plants in the Spring. She didn’t have room for them and thought I’d use them. Rocky always planted six tomato plants each Spring, always in the same place. He had grown up on a dairy farm and he still had the “feel” for raising something out of the ground. He never lost his love for the farm, be it crops or animals.

I planted and watered, fertilized and watered. I didn’t have a lot of faith. It was hard rocky ground but I knew tomatoes actually like poor soil. There used to be big canning factories in the Ozarks from Missouri to Arkansas. The soil wasn’t good enough for much of anything else.

One day I walked past and they had blooms. It seemed a miracle considering all they had against them. Surely the rabbits would eat them……we have several young families of rabbits. But as I write they are ripening and I thought I’d share them with those of you who read this blog.

The things that held my interest when I was young have either become more dear or I’ve forgotten. God has a way of working that out in a person’s life. The one thing I know I will always do is to meet God in my garden.

I know He will always be there………waiting.

Essentially Esther